Cardiac imaging using 256-detector row four-dimensional CT: preliminary clinical report.
OBJECTIVE
Along with the increase of detector rows on the z-axis and a faster gantry rotation speed, the spatial and temporal resolutions of the multislice computed tomography (CT) have been improved for noninvasive coronary artery imaging. We investigated the feasibility of the second specification prototype 256-detector row four-dimensional CT for assessing coronary artery and cardiac function.


METHODS
The subjects were five patients with coronary artery disease. Contrast medium (40-60 ml) was intravenously administered at the rate of 3-4 ml/s. The patient's whole heart was scanned for 1.5 s to cover at least one cardiac cycle during breathholding without electrocardiographic gating. Parameters used were 0.5 mm slice thickness, 0.5 s/rotation, 120 Kv, and 350 mA, with a half-scan reconstruction algorithm (temporal resolution 250 ms). Twenty-six transaxial datasets were reconstructed at intervals of 50 ms.


RESULTS
The assessability of the coronary arteries in AHA segments 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 11 was visually evaluated, resulting in 29 of 32 (90.9%) segments being assessable. Functional assessment was also performed using animated movies without banding artifacts in all cases.


CONCLUSIONS
The 256-detector row four-dimensional CT can assess the coronary artery and cardiac function using data during 1.5 s without banding artifacts.
Kido
Teruhito
T
Department of Radiology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon 794-0295, Japan.
Kurata
Akira
A
Higashino
Hiroshi
H
Sugawara
Yoshifumi
Y
Okayama
Hideki
H
Higaki
Jitsuo
J
Anno
Hirofumi
H
Katada
Kazuhiro
K
Mori
Shinichiro
S
Tanada
Shuji
S
Endo
Masahiro
M
Mochizuki
Teruhito
T
D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*