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High-pitch dual-source CT coronary angiography: systolic data acquisition at high heart rates

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Abstract

Objective

To assess the effect of systolic data acquisition for electrocardiography (ECG)-triggered high-pitch computed tomography (CT) on motion artefacts of coronary arteries in patients with high heart rates (HRs).

Methods

Eighty consecutive patients (15 women, age 67 ± 14 years) with HR ≥70 bpm underwent CT angiography of the thoracic aorta (CTA) on 128-slice dual-source CT in ECG-triggered high-pitch acquisition mode (pitch = 3.2) set at 60% (group A, n = 40) or 30% (group B, n = 40) of the RR interval. Two blinded readers graded coronary artery image quality on a three-point scale. Radiation doses were calculated.

Results

Inter-observer agreement in grading image quality of the 1,154 coronary segments was good (κ = 0.62). HRs were similar in groups A and B (85 ± 13 bpm vs 85 ± 14 bpm, p not significant). Significantly fewer coronary segments with non-diagnostic image quality occurred (i.e. score 3) in group B than in group A [2.8% (16/579) vs 8.3% (48/575), p < 0.001]. Seventeen patients (42.5%) of group A and 12 patients (30.0%) of group B had at least one non-diagnostic segment. Effective radiation doses were 2.3 ± 0.3 mSv for chest CTA.

Conclusion

A systolic acquisition window for high-pitch dual-source CTA in patients with high HRs (≥70 bpm) significantly improves coronary artery image quality at a low radiation dose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland

    Robert Goetti, Gudrun Feuchtner, Paul Stolzmann, Lotus Desbiolles, Michael Alexander Fischer, Christoph Karlo, Stephan Baumueller, Hans Scheffel, Hatem Alkadhi & Sebastian Leschka

  2. Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 100 Charles River Plaza, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Paul Stolzmann, Hans Scheffel & Hatem Alkadhi

  3. Institute of Radiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, Rorschacherstrasse 95, 9007, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Sebastian Leschka

Authors
  1. Robert Goetti
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  2. Gudrun Feuchtner
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  3. Paul Stolzmann
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  4. Lotus Desbiolles
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  5. Michael Alexander Fischer
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  6. Christoph Karlo
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  7. Stephan Baumueller
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  8. Hans Scheffel
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  9. Hatem Alkadhi
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  10. Sebastian Leschka
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Correspondence to Sebastian Leschka.

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Goetti, R., Feuchtner, G., Stolzmann, P. et al. High-pitch dual-source CT coronary angiography: systolic data acquisition at high heart rates. Eur Radiol 20, 2565–2571 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1838-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1838-z

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