Prospective ECG-Gated Coronary 320-MDCT Angiography With Absolute Acquisition Delay Strategy for Patients With Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

Using an absolute-delay strategy, two thirds of patients who underwent prospectively ECG-gated coronary CTA using a 320-MDCT scanner were imaged within two heartbeats or fewer. Compared with patients imaged in sinus rhythm, the image quality was comparative and the radiation dose was 1.8-fold higher.

256-Slice coronary computed tomographic angiography in patients with atrial fibrillation: optimal reconstruction phase and image quality

“…Consequently, cardiac CT to detect or rule out CAD has been suggested as inappropriate [1]. However, technical advances in CT imaging have made it possible to perform diagnostic CCTA studies in these patients [15,16]. In a meta-analysis, Vorre and Abdulla [5] demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy of CCTA in patients with AF, with sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 94 %, 91 %, 79 %, and 97.5 %, respectively.…”

“…Their results appear to coincide with our findings, despite a slight difference in the reconstruction time window (mid-vs. end-diastolic phase); they evaluated only middiastolic-and end-systolic images in their study. Kondo et al [15], who evaluated the image quality of CCTA in patients with AF using an absolute-delay strategy, reported successful prospective ECG-gated CCTA imaging when the target was the mid-diastolic or end-systolic phase. In their study, Fig.…”