title: Cross-sectional area measurement of the coronary arteries using CT angiography at the level of the bifurcation: is there a relationship?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to determine whether there is a correlation between cross-sectional areas of the left main coronary artery (LMCA), left anterior descending artery (LAD), and circumflex artery (CX) in normal cases using coronary CT angiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  Examinations of 180 patients (119 men and 61 women) were selected among 2248 consecutive coronary CT angiography studies. Cross-sectional areas of LMCA, LAD, and CX were measured at the level of bifurcation. Correlation between age, height, and body mass index and coronary artery cross-sectional areas was investigated and possibility of formulating a correlation between the cross-sectional areas of LMCA, LAD, and CX was explored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean cross-sectional areas of LMCA, LAD, and CX were found as 17.4±3.9 mm2, 12.5±3.1 mm2, and 10.5±3.0 mm2, respectively. While cross-sectional areas of LMCA and LAD were significantly larger in men, no significant difference was found between the sectional areas of CX in men and women. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to elucidate the relationship between the cross-sectional areas of LMCA LAD, and CX. Our analysis showed that the relationship between LMCA, LAD, and CX cross-sectional areas can be formulated as follows: LMCA=3.870 + 0.718×LAD + 0.434×CX.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a correlation between the cross-sectional areas of LMCA, LAD, and CX at the level of bifurcation, and this correlation can be expressed with a formula.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Mevki Military Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. drersinozturk@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Samet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verim
authors.forename: Ersin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Öztürk
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Küçük
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kara
authors.forename: Muzaffer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sağlam
authors.forename: Ejder
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kardeşoğlu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019412:Anatomy, Cross-Sectional / Q000379:methods*; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D000072226:Computed Tomography Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult