title: Dual-source CT for chest pain assessment.
abstract: Comprehensive CT angiography protocols offering a simultaneous evaluation of pulmonary embolism, coronary stenoses and aortic disease are gaining attractiveness with recent CT technology. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a specific dual-source CT protocol for chest pain assessment. One hundred nine patients suffering from acute chest pain were examined on a dual-source CT scanner with ECG gating at a temporal resolution of 83 ms using a body-weight-adapted contrast material injection regimen. The images were evaluated for the cause of chest pain, and the coronary findings were correlated to invasive coronary angiography in 29 patients (27%). The files of patients with negative CT examinations were reviewed for further diagnoses. Technical limitations were insufficient contrast opacification in six and artifacts from respiration in three patients. The most frequent diagnoses were coronary stenoses, valvular and myocardial disease, pulmonary embolism, aortic aneurysm and dissection. Overall sensitivity for the identification of the cause of chest pain was 98%. Correlation to invasive coronary angiography showed 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value for coronary stenoses. Dual-source CT offers a comprehensive, robust and fast chest pain assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany. thorsten.johnson@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Thorsten R C
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nikolaou
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Alexander W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Leber
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rist
authors.forename: Bernd J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Wintersperger
authors.forename: Maximilian F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Reiser
authors.forename: Christoph R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media