Sex-specific parameters of ascending aorta, descending aorta and pulmonary trunk by computed tomographic angiography with impact of age, hypertension, smoking and diabetes / Parámetros específicos de la parte ascendente de la aorta, parte descendente de la aorta y tronco pulmonar analizados mediante angiografía por tomografía computadorizada relacionados con el sexo, impacto de la edad, hipertensión, tabaquismo y diabetes

This study aims at establishing whether transverse diameter (TD) and cross sectional-area (CSA) of the ascending aorta (AA), descending aorta (DA) and pulmonary trunk (PT) measured by computerized tomographic angiography (CTA) altered by sex, age, hypertension, smoking and diabetes. CTA examinations of the TD and CSA of the AA, DA and PT of 100 patients aged 49.5±16.9 years (range 16­78 years) selected between January 2009 to May 2011 from those referred to Radiology Department, Jordan University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan for advanced evaluation. Measurements were made in the axial plane at the upper border of the six thoracic vertebrae. Patients were divided into three age groups. Significance of differences in parameters between age groups was calculated. Assessment ratios were considered. It was found that parameters of the three arteries were significantly larger in men than in women (P= < 0.05) and increased with age. Hypertension increased diameters of AA and DA in both genders (P= 0.001) and of PT in men (P= 0.01). Smoking significantly decreased parameters of PT in men (P= 0.01). Diabetes increased parameters of the three arteries in both genders, significantly increased parameters of PT in men (P= <0.05) and parameters of DA in women (P= <0.05). It is concluded that studied parameters were larger in men and increased with age of our patients. Distinctive differences in measurements appeared in hypertensive, smokers, and diabetic patients.

El objetivo fue determinar si el sexo, edad, hipertensión, tabaquismo y la diabetes alteran el diámetro transversal (DT) y área transversal (AT) de la parte ascendente de la aorta (AA), parte descendente de la aorta (AD) y tronco pulmonar (TP), medidos por angiografía por tomografía computadorizada (ATC). Exámenes de ATC de 100 pacientes de 49,5±16,9 años (rango 16­78 años) fueron seleccionados entre enero del año 2009 a mayo del año 2011 por el Departamento de Radiología, Hospital de la Universidad de Jordania, Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Jordania, Amman, Jordania para una evaluación avanzada del DT y AT de la AA, AD y TP. Las mediciones se realizaron en el plano axial en el margen superior de las seis vértebras torácicas. Los pacientes fueron divididos en tres grupos según edad. Se determinó la existencia de significancia estadística de los diferentes parámetros entre los grupos etarios. La evaluación de las razones también fueron consideradas. Se encontró que los parámetros de las tres arterias fueron significativamente mayores en los hombres que en las mujeres (p= <0,05) y que aumentaron con la edad. La hipertensión aumentó los diámetros de la AA y AD en ambos sexos (p= 0,001) y del TP en los hombres (p= 0,01). En fumadores disminuyeron significativamente los parámetros del TP en los hombres (p= 0,01). La diabetes aumentó los parámetros de las tres arterias en ambos sexos. Ademas, aumentaron significativamente los parámetros del TP en los hombres (p= <0,05) y los parámetros de la AD en las mujeres (p = <0,05). Se concluye que los parámetros estudiados eran mayores en los hombres y aumentaron con la edad de nuestros pacientes. Diferencias distintivas en las mediciones aparecieron en hipertensos, fumadores y pacientes diabéticos.

Induced apnea enhances image quality and visualization of cardiopulmonary anatomic during contrast enhanced cardiac computerized tomographic angiography in children.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to determine the effect of induced apnea on quality of cardiopulmonary structures during computerized tomographic (CT) angiography images in children with congenital heart diseases. Methods: Pediatric patients with congenital heart defects undergoing cardiac CT angiography at our facility in the past 3 years participated in this study. The earlier patients underwent cardiac CT angiography without induced apnea and while, later, apnea was induced in patients, which was followed by electrocardiogram gated cardiac CT angiography. General anesthesia was induced using sleep dose of intravenous propofol. After the initial check CT, on request by the radiologist, apnea was induced by the anesthesiologist by administering 1 mg/kg of intravenous suxamethonium. Soon after apnea ensued, the contrast was injected, and CT angiogram carried out. CT images in the “apnea group” were compared with those in “nonapnea group.” After the completion of the procedure, the patients were mask ventilated with 100% oxygen till the spontaneous ventilation was restored. Results: We studied 46 patients, of whom 36 with apnea and yet another 10 without. The quality of the image, visualization of structures such as cardiac wall, outflow tracts, lung field, aortopulmonary shunts, and coronary arteries were analyzed and subjected to statistical analysis (Mann–Whitney U, Fischer’s exact test and Pearson’s Chi‑square test). In the induced apnea group, overall image quality was considered excellent in 89% (n = 33) of the studies, while in the “no apnea group,” only 30% of studies were excellent. Absent or minimal motion artifacts were seen in a majority of the studies in apnea group (94%). In the nonapnea group, the respiratory and body motion artifacts were severe in 50%, moderate in 30%, and minimal in 20%, but they were significantly lesser in the apnea group. All the studied parameters were statistically significant in the apnea group in contrast to nonapnea group (P < 0.000). Conclusion: The image quality of cardiac CT angiography greatly improves, and motion artifact significantly decreases with the use of induced apnea in pediatrics patients being evaluated for congenital heart disease. This technique poses no additional morbidity of significance.

Role of Multislice Computerized Tomographic Angiography after Clip Placement in Aneurysm Patients Based on Comparison with Three Dimensional Digital Subtraction Angiography

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the accuracy of multislice computerized tomographic angiography (MCTA) in the postoperative evaluation of clipped aneurysms by comparising it with three dimensional digital subtraction angiography (3D-DSA). METHODS: Between May 2004 and September 2006, we included patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysm of the anterior circulation that was surgically clipped and evaluated by both postoperative MCTA and postoperative 3D-DSA. We measured the diagnostic performance and calculated the sensitivity and specificity of postoperative MCTA compared to 3D-DSA in the detection of aneurysm remnants. RESULTS: A total of 11 neck remnants among the 92 clipped aneurysms (11.9%) were confirmed by 3D-DSA. According to Sindou's classification of aneurysm remnants, 8.7% of clipped aneurysms (8/92) had only neck remnant on 3D-DSA and 3.2% (3/92 aneurysms) had residuum of the neck and sac on 3D-DSA. There were 12 (13.04%) equivocal cases that were difficult to interpret based on the postoperative MCTA. The reasons for the equivocal cases included multiple clips (6 cases, 50.0%), beam-hardening effect (4 cases, 33.3%), motion artifact (1 case, 8.3%), fenestrated clip (1 case, 8.3%) and other combined causes. The sensitivity and specificity of the postoperative MCTA was 81.8% and 88.9%, respectively, by ROC curve (p=0.000). CONCLUSION: MCTA is an accurate noninvasive imaging method used for the assessment of clipped aneurysms in the anterior circulation. If the image quality of postoperative MCTA is good quality and the patient has been treated with a single titanium clip, except a fenestrated clip, the absence of an aneurysm remnant can be diagnosed by MCTA alone and the need for postoperative DSA can be reduced in a large percentage of cases.

Role of Multislice Computerized Tomographic Angiography in Vasospasm Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE: We evaluate the role of multislice computerized tomographic angiography(MCTA) in the diagnosis of intracranial vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH) in patients suspected of having vasospasm on clinical ground. METHODS: Between October 2003 and June 2005, patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms of the anterior circulation clipped within 3 days of the onset were included. We performed follow-up MCTAs in patients who were suspected to have vasospasm on transcranial doppler sonography(TCD) findings and clinical grounds. Based on the clinical presentation of symptomatic vasospasm, we investigated the correlation between clinical, TCD, and MCTA signs of vasospasm and evaluated the role of MCTA in vasospasm. RESULTS: One hundred one patients met the inclusion criteria and symptomatic vasospasm developed in 25 patients (24.8%). We performed follow-up MCTAs in 28 patients. MCTA revealed spasm in the vessels of 26 patients. The sensitivity of MCTA was 100%. Among the 26 patients with MCTA evidence of vasospasm, 3 patients had TCD signs of vasospasm after symptomatic vasospasm presentation. Another 3 patients with symptomatic vasospasm had no TCD signs of vasospasm in daily serial recordings. Six other patients without symptomatic vasospasm showed MCTA evidence of vasospasm (false positive result) but these patients had also positive TCD signs of vasospasm. Volume rendering(VR) images tended to show significantly more exaggerated vasospasm than maximum intensity projection(MIP) images. The mean cerebral blood flow velocity of both proximal segment of the middle cerebral artery (M1) was significantly correlated with each reduced M1 diameter on MCTA (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: MCTA could be a useful tool for evaluation and planning management of critically ill patients suspected of having vasospasm; however, more randomized controlled trials are necessary to assess these points definitively.

Usefulness of Multislice Computerized Tomographic Angiography in Evaluation of Intracranial Aneurysms: Surgical Correlation

OBJECTIVE: The usefulness of multislice computerized tomographic angiography(MCTA) in operating intracranial aneurysms is studied by comparing the features of MCTA with intraoperative findings. METHODS: From December 2001 to February 2003, 74 clippings of aneurysmal neck were carried out based mainly on the aneurysmal features of preoperative MCTA. MCTA studies consisted of four rows(multislice technology), with slice thickness of 1.25mm at 0.6mm reconstruction intervals and pitch of 0.75. Timing was determined using the Smart Prep automatic triggering system. The locations of aneurysms were classified into 3 subgroups: internal carotid artery, middle cerebral artery, and anterior communicating artery and distal anterior cerebral artery. The aneurysmal features on MCTA were compared with their operative findings, using our comparison items, and graded subsequently. RESULTS: A total of 77 intracranial aneurysms were identified among 64 patients on preoperative MCTA, and one of them was false positive. Two angiographically unrecognized microaneurysms were identified on operation. In the detection of intracranial aneurysm, MCTA had 98.4% sensitivity and 96.9% specificity on a perpatient basis. On a per-aneurysm basis, MCTA sensitivity and specificity were 98.6% and 97.3%, respectively. The shapes of aneurysms on MCTA were not related with the grade(chi-square test: X2=1.566, p=0.457), but each grades of simple, bilobulation, and multilobulation were grade 1. Sum of grading scores were related with site of aneurysm(Chi-square test: X2=48.635, p=0.001), In particular, sum of grading scores of MCA aneurysms were 5. Although fine vascular architectures such as hypoplastic A1 and posterior communicating artery, perforating artery of A-COM, and anterior choroidal artery were invisible on MCTA, the MCTA images of ICA and A-COM aneurysms were also found to be valuable in intracranial aneurysm surgery. CONCLUSION: MCTA is useful in planning the surgery of intracranial aneurysm compared to single detector CTA. Postoperative DSA of stabilized patient is mandatory for confirming operative results and any missing unruptured aneurysm after MCTA based cerebral aneurysm surgery.