title: Comparison of 64-slice computed tomography planimetry and Doppler echocardiography in the assessment of aortic valve stenosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aim was to compare, prospectively, the planimetry of aortic stenosis on 64-slice computed tomography (CT), with the area calculated by Doppler transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in symptomatic patients evaluated before potential aortic valve replacement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two consecutive patients (27 males, 25 females; mean age 74 +/- 10 years) admitted to the authors' institution during 2005 were evaluated with 64-slice CT and Doppler TTE. The time interval between the two evaluations was 2 +/- 1 weeks. Planimetry of the anatomic orifice area (AOA) drawn on 64-slice CT was compared to the effective area determined by Doppler TTE by Bland and Altman analysis, and the anatomic area threshold value corresponding to a significant effective aortic stenosis (50.75 cm2) was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The aortic orifice area measured by 64-slice CT correlated well with the effective area (r = 0.76; p <0.0001), but was significantly greater, with a systematic overestimation (0.132 cm(2)) and a variability of 0.239 cm(2). There was good agreement between planimetry determined by two independent radiologists (difference = 0.002, variability = 0.115 cm(2)). ROC analysis showed that a threshold value of 0.95 cm(2) as measured by 64-slice CT planimetry identifies significant aortic stenosis with sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values of 82%, 77%, 81%, 91% and 59%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  64-slice CT is a reproducible and reliable non-invasive method to evaluate aortic valve stenosis compared to the reference method of Doppler TTE. Indeed, the CT approach could replace the latter evaluation when measurements used in the continuity equation are inadequate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue, Le Plessis Robinson, France. mhabis@ccml.fr
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Habis
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Daoud
authors.forename: Veronique L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Roger
authors.forename: Said
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghostine
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caussin
authors.forename: Ramzi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramadan
authors.forename: Remi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nottin
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lancelin
authors.forename: Claude-Yves
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Angel
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capderou
authors.forename: Jean-Francois
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*