title: Application of low tube voltage coronary CT angiography with low-dose iodine contrast agent in patients with a BMI of 26-30 kg/m2.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the feasibility of using a reduced radiation dose and reduced iodine intake (i.e., "double low": low tube voltage/low iodine dose contrast agent) scanning protocol and the adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR) reconstruction algorithm in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with a BMI of 26-30 kg/m(2).
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred and seventy-nine consecutive CHD patients with a body mass index >26 kg/m² but <30 kg/m² were randomly assigned to two groups (group A: 53 men, 39 women, average age 61.83 ± 11.84 years, and group B: 40 men, 47 women, average age 62.25 ± 11.37 years) based on tube voltage, contrast agent, and algorithm used. Group A underwent the "double low" protocol (iodixanol at 270 mg iodine/ml, 100 kVp tube voltage, and AIDR). Group B received the conventional protocol [iopamidol at 370 mg iodine/ml, 120 kVp tube voltage, and filtered back projection (FBP)].
  
  
  RESULTS
  The volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP), effective dose (ED), and iodine intake of patients in "double low" group A were significantly lower than the "conventional" group B (p < 0.001). The mean intraluminal attenuation and contrast enhancement in group A were also significantly less than group B (p < 0.001), whereas the image noise using AIDR in group A was significantly lower than group B using FBP (p < 0.001). However, the signal-to- noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and image-quality scores between the two groups were comparable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of 320-row CT with a "double low" scanning protocol for CCTA in patients with a BMI of 26-30 kg/m(2) not only provided images of diagnostic quality but also reduced both radiation dose and iodine intake during scanning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Cancer Center of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510095, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Y B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: S X
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: CH_deji2529@163.com.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007479:Iopamidol; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014283:Triiodobenzoic Acids
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D014283:Triiodobenzoic Acids; C044834:iodixanol; D007479:Iopamidol