Quantitative assessment of left ventricular systolic wall thickening using multidetector computed tomography.
BACKGROUND
Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) of the heart provides both anatomical and functional information. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of quantitative assessment of left ventricular contractile function in relation to two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).


METHODS
Sixty-four patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease underwent ECG-gated 64-slice MDCT and TTE. Regional left ventricular contractile function was measured by percent systolic wall thickening (SWT) in 16 myocardial segments using MDCT, and compared with visual evaluation of wall motion score (WMS) by TTE. Global SWT by MDCT was calculated as the mean SWT of all myocardial segments and compared with wall motion index (WMI) by TTE.


RESULTS
Eight hundred and eleven segments (81%) were classified as normokinetic, 142 (14%) as hypokinetic, 41 (4%) as akinetic and 5 (0.5%) as dyskinetic by TTE. A significant inverse linear trend was found between regional SWT by MDCT and WMS by TTE (p<0.001). Sensitivity and specificity for the identification of regional abnormalities of contractile function were 76% and 78%, respectively. A linear correlation between global SWT by MDCT and WMI by TTE was found (r=-0.8, p<0.001). Sensitivity and specificity for the identification of WMI>1.5 using global SWT was 91% and 94%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Quantification of systolic wall thickening by MDCT provides functional information, which is well correlated to visual assessment of global left ventricular contractile function by TTE.
Kristensen
Thomas S
TS
Department of Radiology, Diagnostic Centre, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. tskaarup@yahoo.com
Kofoed
Klaus F
KF
Møller
Daniel V
DV
Ersbøll
Mads
M
Kühl
Tobias
T
von der Recke
Peter
P
Køber
Lars
L
Nielsen
Michael B
MB
Kelbaek
Henning
H
D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*