title: Feasibility of low-dose contrast medium high pitch CT angiography for the combined evaluation of coronary, head and neck arteries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the image quality and radiation dose of combined heart, head, and neck CT angiography (CTA) using prospectively electrocardiography (ECG)-triggered high-pitch spiral scan protocol, compared with single coronary CTA.
  
  
  METHODS
  151 consecutive patients were prospectively included and randomly divided into three groups. Group 1 (n = 47) underwent combined heart, neck, and head CTA using prospectively ECG-triggered high-pitch spiral (Flash) scan protocol with a single-phase intravenous injection of iodinated contrast and saline flush; Group 2 (n = 51) underwent single coronary CTA with Flash scan protocol; and Group 3 (n = 53) underwent single coronary CTA with prospective sequence scan protocol. All patients were examined on a dual source CT (Definition FLASH). The image quality was determined for each CT study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients of scanning protocol Group 1, 2, and 3 showed no significant differences in age, sex, heart rates, and BMI. Evaluation of coronary artery image quality showed comparable results in the three scanning protocol groups on a per patient-based analysis. In group 1, image quality was found to be sufficient to be diagnostic in all arterial segments of carotid arteries. The mean dose-length product (DLP) for group 1 was 256.3±24.5 mGy×cm and was significantly higher in comparison with group 2 (93.4±19.9 mGy×cm; p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference of DLP between group 1 and group 3 (254.1±69.9 mGy×cm).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combined heart, neck, and head arteries scan using prospectively electrocardiography (ECG)-triggered high-pitch spiral scan protocol in 1 single examination resulted in an excellent opacification of the aorta, the carotid arteries, and the coronary arteries and provided a good image quality with low radiation dose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yining
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Huadan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhengyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lingyan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006257:Head / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D009333:Neck / Q000098:blood supply*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media