title: Next generation coronary CT angiography: in vitro evaluation of 27 coronary stents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate in-stent lumen visibility of 27 modern and commonly used coronary stents (16 individual stent types, two stents at six different sizes each) utilising a third-generation dual-source CT system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stents were implanted in a plastic tube filled with contrast. Examinations were performed parallel to the system's z-axis for all stents (i.e. 0°) and in an orientation of 90° for stents with a diameter of 3.0 mm. Two stents were evaluated in different diameters (2.25 to 4.0 mm). Examinations were acquired with a collimation of 96 × 0.6 mm, tube voltage of 120 kVp with 340 mAs tube current. Evaluation was performed using a medium-soft (Bv40), a medium-sharp (Bv49) and a sharp (Bv59) convolution kernel optimised for vascular imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean visible stent lumen of stents with 3.0 mm diameter ranged from 53.3 % (IQR 48.9 - 56.7 %) to 73.9 % (66.7 - 76.7 %), depending on the kernel used at 0°, and was highest at an orientation of 90° with 80.0 % (75.6 - 82.8 %) using the Bv59 kernel, strength 4. Visible stent lumen declined with decreasing stent size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of third-generation dual-source CT enables stent lumen visibility of up to 80 % in metal stents and 100 % in bioresorbable stents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • Blooming artefacts impair in-stent lumen visibility of coronary stents in CT angiography. • CT enables stent lumen visibility of up to 80 % in metal stents. • Stent lumen visibility varies with stent orientation and size. • CT angiography may be a valid alternative for detecting in-stent restenosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany, Gassenmaie_T@ukw.de.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gassenmaier
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Petri
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Allmendinger
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Flohr
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maintz
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Voelker
authors.forename: Thorsten A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Bley
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D015607:Stents; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*