title: Incidental extracardiac findings at cardiac CT angiography: comparison of prevalence and clinical significance between precontrast low-dose whole thoracic scan and postcontrast retrospective ECG-gated cardiac scan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the prevalence and clinical significance of incidental extracardiac findings at cardiac CT angiography (CCTA) with precontrast low-dose whole thoracic scan (LDCT) and ECG-gated CCTA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed 254 patients who underwent CCTA. All participants first underwent LDCT to determine a range for CCTA and to screen unrecognized extracardiac lesions. CCTA was reconstructed with a small field of view of the heart. Clinically significant extracardiac findings were defined as abnormalities requiring further diagnostic work up, therapeutic intervention, or follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On LDCT, 285 extracardiac findings were detected in 62.6% patients; on CCTA, 18 findings in 7% patients. Among these, 66 findings in 20.4% patients were considered clinically significant on LDCT, and 4 findings in 1.6% patients on CCTA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinically significant extracardiac findings are common in patients undergoing CCTA with a considerable number of extracardiac findings being detected only on LDCT. We advise performing whole thorax LDCT prior to CCTA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Guro Hospital, Korea University, 97 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, 152-703, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun-Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hwan Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Yoon Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ok Hee
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Yu-Whan
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Ki Yeol
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Heon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media