title: High-pitch, dual-source chest computed tomography angiography without electrocardiographic synchronization: evaluation of cardiac motion artifacts on pulmonary circulation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the frequency and severity of cardiac motion artifacts on high-pitch, dual-source computed tomography angiograms of the chest.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred consecutive patients underwent a non-electrocardiogram-gated, dual-source chest computed tomography examination with high pitch and high temporal resolution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (±SD) duration of data acquisition was 0.9 (±0.07) seconds and the mean (±SD) heart rate was 78.9 (±15.2) bpm. Cardiac motion artifacts were seen at the level of the pulmonary trunk in 2 patients (2%). Among the 7000 pulmonary arteries analyzed (5 central, 5 lobar, 20 segmental, and 40 subsegmental arteries/patient), pseudofilling defects were depicted at the level of 3 arteries (0.042%), always seen with the concurrent presence of a "double contour" appearance of the vessel walls. Twinkling star artifacts beyond the subsegmental level were seen within 76 segments (76/2000; 3.8% of the examined segments), most commonly in the lingula and left lower lobe. A total of 23 patients (23%) showed at least 1 category of motion artifacts, whereas 77 patients (77%) had motion-free imaging of the pulmonary arteries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Routine scanning of patients with high pitch and high temporal resolution provides examinations devoid of detrimental cardiac motion artifacts.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Thoracic Imaging, Hospital Calmette †Department of Medical Statistics, University of Lille Nord de France, Lille, France.
authors.forename: Nunzia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tacelli
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Darchis
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pontana
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Faivre
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Deken
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Duhamel
authors.forename: Colm
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Remy
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Remy-Jardin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016477:Artifacts; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed