title: Factors influencing delay time and coronary arterial density during coronary angiography with DSCT.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  CT angiography (CTA) plays an important role in diagnosing coronary arterial disease. Delay time and density of the coronary arteries related with patient-specific factors are essential for getting an optimal CTA image.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate various factors influencing delay time and coronary arterial density during coronary CTA with dual source CT.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and sixteen consecutive subjects who underwent cardiac DSCT with retrospective ECG-gating were included. Factors including gender, age, height, weight, transversal cardiac diameter (TCD), transversal thoracic diameter (TTD), heart rate (HR), body surface area (BSA = [weight × height/3600](1/2)) and cardiothoracic ratio (CTR = TCD/TTD) were recorded, measured and calculated before administration of contrast media during coronary CT angiography. Delay time was determined as duration from the beginning of the injection to the density in the descending aorta at the level of right main pulmonary artery reaching a threshold of 100 HU. Coronary arterial density was measured at the mid portion of the right coronary artery. Regression analysis and stepwise regression analysis were used to investigate the influence of these factors on delay time and coronary arterial density.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Delay time decreased with an increasing HR and it was shorter in women than men. Delay time increased with an increasing TCD. Delay time could be predicted by the formula: DT = 16.651-0.110 × HR + 1.902 × gender + 0.394 × TCD (where DT is abbreviation for delay time, gender is 0 for women and 1 for men). Coronary arterial density decreased with an increasing HR and weight. Coronary arterial density could be predicted by the formula: CAD = 923.42-4.099 × HR-3.293 × weight (CAD = coronary arterial density). There was no relationship between the other factors mentioned above and delay time or coronary arterial density.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Delay time is influenced by HR, gender and TCD. Coronary arterial density also changes with HR and weight. So HR, gender, TCD and weight can be used to adjust flow rate and dosage of contrast media before administration of contrast media during coronary CT angiography.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Tongfu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jinhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Vikram
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dogra
authors.forename: Dehang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001835:Body Weight; D001837:Body Weights and Measures / Q000379:methods; D002302:Cardiac Output; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007472:Iohexol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D012737:Sex Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol; C038192:iopromide