Multislice computed tomography (CT) is an emerging technique for the non-invasive detection of coronary stenoses. While the diagnostic accuracy of 4-slice scanners was limited, 16-slice CT imagers showed promising results due to increased temporal and spatial resolution. These technical advances prompted us to evaluate the diagnostic performance of 64-slice CT coronary angiography in the detection of significant stenoses (defined as ≥50% luminal diameter reduction) versus invasive quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). Thirty-five patients with stable angina pectoris underwent CT coronary angiography performed with a 64-slice scanner (gantry rotation time 330 ms, individual detector width 0.6 mm) prior to conventional coronary angiography. Patients with heart rates >70 beats/min received 100 mg metoprolol orally. One hundred millilitres of contrast agent with an iodine concentration of 400 mgl/ml were injected at a rate of 5 ml/s into the antecubital vein. The CT scan was triggered with the bolus tracking technique. The sensitivity, specificity and the positive and negative predictive values of 64-slice CT were 99%, 96%, 78% and 99%, respectively, on a per-segment basis. The values obtained on a per-patient basis were 100%, 90%, 96% and 100%, respectively. When referral to catheterisation is questionable, CT coronary angiography may identify subjects with normal angiograms and consistently decrease the number of unnecessary invasive procedures.

, ,
doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-0041-0, hdl.handle.net/1765/69940
European Radiology: journal of the European Congress of Radiology
Department of Cardiology

Pugliese, F., Mollet, N., Runza, G., van Mieghem, C., Meijboom, W. B., Malagutti, P., … Cademartiri, F. (2006). Diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive 64-slice CT coronary angiography in patients with stable angina pectoris. European Radiology: journal of the European Congress of Radiology, 16(3), 575–582. doi:10.1007/s00330-005-0041-0