title: High-definition computed tomography for coronary artery stents imaging compared with standard-definition 64-row multidectector computed tomography: an initial in vivo study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The evaluation of coronary stents by computed tomography (CT) remains difficult. We assessed the imaging performance of a high-definition CT scanner (HDCT) by comparing with a conventional 64-row standard-definition CT (SDCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred thirty-eight consecutive stented patients underwent coronary CT angiography, among whom 66 patients were examined by HDCT, and 72 patients by SDCT (LightSpeed VCT XT; GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wis). The image quality score, the inner stent diameter (ISD), and the radiation dose were analyzed. All data were statistically tested by SPSS 13.0 software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Ill).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 72 patients examined using SDCT, 135 stents were detected; in 66 patients examined using HDCT, 119 stents were detected. The image quality score on HDCT was significantly better than that on SDCT (1.4 [SD, 0.7] vs 1.9 [SD, 0.8]). The ISD on HDCT was significantly higher than that on SDCT (1.8 [SD, 0.5] vs 1.6 [SD, 0.4]). There was no significant difference of either image quality score or ISD between the HDCT and SDCT groups in stents with 2.5-mm diameter. Images on HDCT showed significantly better image quality score and larger ISD than images on SDCT in 2.75-, 3-, and 3.5-mm stents. For patients examined by retrospective electrocardiogram-gated technique, the radiation dose on HDCT was significantly lower than that on SDCT (11.3 [SD, 2.9] vs 15.1 [SD, 3.8] mSv).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-definition CT scanner offered improved image quality and measurement accuracy for imaging coronary stents compared with conventional SDCT, providing higher spatial resolution and lower dose for evaluating coronary stents with 2.75- to 3.5-mm diameter.
authors.affiliation: Department of radiology, Rui Jin Hospital, Medical School, Shanghai Jiao Tong, University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wen Jie
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Jian Ying
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zi Lai
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Ke Min
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003331:Coronary Vessels; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007479:Iopamidol; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015607:Stents; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D007479:Iopamidol