title: Role of computed tomography voxel size in detection and discrimination of calcium and iron deposits in atherosclerotic human coronary artery specimens.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the influence of voxel size on its ability to discriminate calcium from iron deposits in ex vivo coronary arteries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postmortem human coronary arteries underwent multislice computed tomographic scan at (600-microm) voxel size to provide an index of computed tomography (CT) image noise and synchrotron-based micro-CT at (4-microm) voxel size to provide data for generating a range of voxel sizes 4 to (600-microm) after grayscale noise was added to the projection images before reconstruction so as to mimic the effect of retaining the same radiation exposure involved in the multislice computed tomographic scan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At voxel sizes of (20-microm) or smaller, iron deposits could be identified based on CT grayscale value. Voxels of (100-microm) or larger cannot resolve nor distinguish iron deposits from calcifications by virtue of CT grayscale value.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical CT scanners cannot be expected to discriminate iron deposits from calcifications by their CT value alone in the arterial wall.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Langheinrich
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kampschulte
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crössmann
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moritz
authors.forename: Wigbert S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Rau
authors.forename: Rainer M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bohle
authors.forename: Erik L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Ritman
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006486:Hemosiderosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D007501:Iron; D002118:Calcium