Reliability in Using Routine Coronary CT Angiography with Retrospective Electrocardiographic Gating for the Comprehensive Functional Evaluation of the Left Ventricle

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE@#To evaluate the feasibility of comprehensive left ventricle (LV) functional parameters on routine coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) based on two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE).@*MATERIALS AND METHODS@#Ninety-nine patients who underwent CCTA accompanied by 2DE were included in the study. The volumetric LV systolic functional parameters were acquired from 10-phase reconstruction of CCTA data. By differentiating the time-LV volume curve by time domain and measuring mitral valvular orifice areas, transmitral time-velocity curves were drawn and the early (E) to late (A) mitral inflow peak velocities ratio (E/A ratio) was acquired. By measuring a longitudinal jerking velocity of the mitral valvular annulus on a four-chamber view, the mitral peak velocity of early filling (E) to early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E') ratio (E/E' ratio) was evaluated. All functional parameters were compared with the 2DE results.@*RESULTS@#The LV end diastolic volume, LV end systolic volume, ejection fraction, stroke volume, cardiac output, and LV myocardial mass measured by CCTA and 2DE showed moderate to strong correlations (r = 0.732, 0.821, 0.416, 0.394, 0.328, and 0.764, respectively; p < 0.05). The E/A and E/E' ratios showed strong correlation between CCTA and echocardiography (r = 0.807 and 0.751, respectively; p < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#When CCTA is performed with retrospective electrocardiographic gating, additional information about the LV function can be acquired as reliably as with echocardiography.