title: Evaluation of anterior ethmoidal artery by 320-slice CT angiography with comparison to three-dimensional spin digital subtraction angiography: initial experiences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the usefulness of 320-slice CT angiography (CTA) for evaluating the course of the anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA) and its relationship with adjacent structures by using three-dimensional (3D) spin digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as standard reference.
  
  
  METHODS
  From December 2008 to December 2010, 32 patients with cerebrovascular disease, who underwent both cranial 3D spin DSA and 320-slice CTA within a 30 day period from each other, were retrospectively reviewed. AEA course in ethmoid was analyzed in DSA and CTA. In addition, adjacent bony landmarks (bony notch in medial orbital wall, anterior ethmoidal canal, and anterior ethmoidal sulcus) were evaluated with CTA using the MPR technique oriented along the axial, coronal and oblique coronal planes in all patients. The dose length product (DLP) for CTA and the dose-area product (DAP) for 3D spin DSA were recorded. Effective dose (ED) was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The entire course of the AEA was seen in all 32 cases (100%) with 3D spine DSA and in 29 of 32 cases (90.1%) with 320-slice CTA, with no significant difference (p = 0.24). In three cases where AEA was not visualized on 320-slice CTA, two were due to the dominant posterior ethmoidal artery, while the remaining case was due to diminutive AEA. On MPR images of 320-slice CT, a bony notch in the orbital medial walls was detected in all cases (100%, 64 of 64); anterior ethmoidal canal was seen in 28 of 64 cases (43.8%), and the anterior ethmoidal sulcus was seen in 63 of 64 cases (98.4%). The mean effective dose in CTA was 0.6 ± 0.25 mSv, which was significantly lower than for 3D spin DSA (1.3 ± 0.01 mSv) (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  320-slice CTA has a similar detection rate for AEA to that of 3D spin DSA; however, it is noninvasive, and may be preferentially used for the evaluation of AEA and its adjacent bony variations and pathologic changes in preoperative patients with paranasal sinus diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Jinan Military General Hospital, Jinan 250031, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Bing-bing
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guo-ying
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhao-hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Xu-ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D005005:Ethmoid Sinus / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: 320-slice CT; Anterior ethmoid artery; Computed tomography angiography; Digital subtraction angiography