Dual-source CT coronary angiography in patients with premature heart-beats:initial experience / 中华放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of dual-source computed tomography(DSCT)coronary angiography in a population with premature heart-beats.Methods Seventy patients with suspected coronary artery disease and premature heart-beats were routinely imaged on a DSCT scanner(Somatom Definition,Siemens AG,Germany).The images were reconstructed before and after ECG editing.Two readers independently assessed image quality of all coronary segments using a four-point grading scale from excellent(1)to non-assessable(4).The results ofthe two groups were compared with a paired t-test,and a P value of less than 0.05 Was considered significant.Results The mean heart rate during examination ranged from 49 to 111 bpm[mean(70.7±12.4)bpm].Twenty-eight of 70 patients with relatively small variability of the heart rate[(41.0±18.4)bpm]got diagnostic image quality without ECG editing.In other 42 patients with larger variability of the heart rate[(71.4±28.7)bpm],the meal image quality scores were 2.09±1.27 and 1.50±0.79 before and after ECG editing,there Was a significant difference(t=13.764,P＜0.01).The proportion of non-assessable segments Was reduced from 24.8%(154/620)to 3.4%(21/620)through ECG editing(X2=121.846,P＜0.01).Finally,the diagnostic image accounted 98.0%(1014/1035)in all segments of 70 patients.Conclusion DSCT can provide diagnostic images for patients with premature heart-beats.The image quality in patients with larger variability of the heart rate can be significantly improved through ECG editing.