0D-1D coupling model and 3D fluid-structure interaction model based on coronary CT angiography for displaying hemodynamic characteristics of coronary artery stenosis

Objective To observe value of 0D-1D coupling model and 3D fluid-structure interaction(FSI)model based on coronary CT angiography(CCTA)for displaying hemodynamic characteristics of coronary artery stenosis.Methods Based on CCTA data of the stenosed left anterior descending branch(LAD)in a patient with coronary heart disease,an 0D-1D coupling model and 3D FSI model were built,respectively.Then hemodynamic characteristic indexes,including the pressure,flow velocity and wall shear stress(WSS)were obtained in every 0.01 s during 1 s at 5 sampling points(i.e.sampling point 1—5)using these 2 models,respectively,and the consistencies of the results between models were evaluated with Spearman correlation coefficient r s.Results The time consuming for construction of 0D-1D coupling model and 3D FSI model was 0.033 min and 704 min,respectively.Both models showed basically distribution of the pressure,flow velocity and WSS of the stenosed LAD.For more details,the pressure at the stenosed segment of LAD and the proximal segment of stenosis were both higher,which gradually decreased at the distal segment of stenosis,and the flow velocity at the proximal segment of stenosis was in a relatively slow and uniform condition,with significantly increased flow velocity and WSS at the stenosed segment.Compared with 3D FSI model,0D-1D vascular coupling model was relatively unrefined and lack of distal flow lines when displaying blood flow velocity.For sampling point 2 at the stenosed segment of LAD,no significant consistency for pressure between 2 models was found(P=0.118),but strong consistency for the flow velocity and WSS(r s=0.730,0.807,both P<0.05).The consistencies of pressure,flow velocity and WSS between 2 models at the proximal and distal segment of stenosis,i.e.1,3—5 sampling points were week to moderate(r s=0.237—0.669,all P<0.05).Conclusion 0D-1D coupling model exhibited outstanding computational efficiency and might provide relatively reasonable results,while 3D FSI model showed higher accuracy for details and streamline when simulating LAD stenosis.

Multislice computed tomography angiography in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease

Multislice CT angiography represents one of the most exciting technological revolutions in cardiac imaging and it has been increasingly used in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Rapid improvements in multislice CT scanners over the last decade have allowed this technique to become a potentially effective alternative to invasive coronary angiography in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. High diagnostic value has been achieved with multislice CT angiography with use of 64- and more slice CT scanners. In addition, multislice CT angiography shows accurate detection and analysis of coronary calcium, characterization of coronary plaques, as well as prediction of the disease progression and major cardiac events. Thus, patients can benefit from multislice CT angiography that provides a rapid and accurate diagnosis while avoiding unnecessary invasive coronary angiography procedures. The aim of this article is present an overview of the clinical applications of multislice CT angiography in coronary artery disease with a focus on the diagnostic accuracy of coronary artery disease; prognostic value of coronary artery disease with regard to the prediction of major cardiac events; detection and quantification of coronary calcium and characterization of coronary plaques. Limitations of multislice CT angiography in coronary artery disease are also briefly discussed, and future directions are highlighted.

Noninvasive Detection of Coronary Artery Stenosis Using 16-slice Spiral CT: a Comparison with Selective X-ray Coronary Angiography

The role of 16-slice spiral CT was selective X-ray coronary angiography （SCA） who were suspected of having coronary heart evaluated in the diagnosis of coronary stenosis, with serving as the reference standard. Sixty-five patients disease, without percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or coronary bypass-grafting, were investigated using 16-slice CT. Eight patients with pre-scan heart rate of more than 80 beats/min were given β-blockers. After the retrospectively ECG-gated axial imaging reconstruction, volume redering （VR）, multi-planar reconstruction （MPR）, curved MPR and maximum intensity projection （MIP） were used to reconstruct. Every segment of coronary artery with a diameter ≥1.5 mm was assessed, and the presence on CT with a stenosis exceeding 50 % diameter reduction was compared with that on SCA. The reasons which lead to some segments unevaluable were analysed. Compared with SCA, 93 % coronary segments and 94 % main branches were evaluable. Residual cardiac motion artifacts, severe calcification and poor opacification made 58 %, 28 % and 14 % of the remaining 60 segments unevaluable respectively. Without routine administration of β-blockers, good coronary imaging quality can be acquired using 16-slice spiral CT. It is a reliable noninvasive method for detection of obstructive coronary artery disease.

A comparative study of coronary angiography and optical coherence tomography findings in coronary artery disease patients with moderate stenosis

Objective To compare coronary angiography(CAG) and optical coherence tomography(OCT) findings in stenosis and culprit lesion morphology assessment in coronary artery disease patients with moderate stenosis(50%～70%).Methods 23 CAD patients with moderate stenosis(50%～70%) were enrolled in the study.These patients then underwent OCT analysis.CAG and OCT stenosis results were compared for conformity.OCT images of the culprit lesions were analyzed for more details about the morphological characteristics of the plaques in relation with the clinical diagnosis.Results Evaluation of stenosis of coronary lesions by Quantitative Coronary Angiography(QCA) corresponds approximately with OCT analysis estimation:CAG stenosis was 57.26% ±5.05,whereas the same OCT stenosis analysis reached a value of 61.17%±11.36,(P=0.032).From OCT image analysis,the vulnerable plaque was detected more in the culprit lesions of patients with a clinical diagnosis of unstable angina,than in stable angina pectoris patients(61.5%vs10%;P=0.012).

Clinical characteristics of different computed tomography coronary angiography plaque properties in patients with coronary artery disease

Objective: To study the clinical characteristics of different computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) plaque properties in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods:Patients who were diagnosed with coronary artery disease in Ankang Central Hospital between February 2015 and March 2017 were selected and divided into soft plaque group, mixed plaque group and calcified plaque group according to the plaque properties judged by CTCA examination, and healthy volunteers who received physical examination in Ankang Central Hospital during the same period were selected as control group. The serum levels of material metabolism indexes, cytokines as well as collagen synthesis and degradation indexes of the four groups were measured. Results: Serum UA, Hcy, PCSK9, LDL-C, GDF-15, CXCL5, hs-CRP, RANTES, IL-6, MMP1, ST2, CysC and I-CTP levels of soft plaque group, mixed plaque group and calcified plaque group were significantly higher than those of control group, serum UA, Hcy, PCSK9, LDL-C, GDF-15, CXCL5, hs-CRP, RANTES, IL-6, MMP1, ST2, CysC and I-CTP levels of soft plaque group and mixed plaque group were significantly higher than those of calcified plaque group, and serum UA, Hcy, PCSK9, LDL-C, GDF-15, CXCL5, hs-CRP, RANTES, IL-6, MMP1, ST2, CysC and I-CTP levels of soft plaque group were significantly higher than those of mixed plaque group. Conclusion: CTCA can accurately determine the plaque properties and evaluate the disorder of material metabolism, cytokine secretion as well as collagen synthesis and degradation during the change of plaque properties in patients with coronary artery disease.

Machine learning for diagnosis of coronary artery disease in computed tomography angiography:A survey

Coronary artery disease(CAD)has become a major illness endangering human health.It mainly manifests as atherosclerotic plaques,especially vulnerable plaques without obvious symptoms in the early stage.Once a rupture occurs,it will lead to severe coronary stenosis,which in turn may trigger a major adverse cardiovascular event.Computed tomography angiography(CTA)has become a standard diagnostic tool for early screening of coronary plaque and stenosis due to its advantages in high resolution,noninvasiveness,and three-dimensional imaging.However,manual examination of CTA images by radiologists has been proven to be tedious and time-consuming,which might also lead to intra-and interobserver errors.Nowadays,many machine learning algorithms have enabled the(semi-)automatic diagnosis of CAD by extracting quantitative features from CTA images.This paper provides a survey of these machine learning algorithms for the diagnosis of CAD in CTA images,including coronary artery extraction,coronary plaque detection,vulnerable plaque identification,and coronary stenosis assessment.Most included articles were published within this decade and are found in the Web of Science.We wish to give readers a glimpse of the current status,challenges,and perspectives of these machine learning-based analysis methods for automatic CAD diagnosis.

Feasibility and accuracy of coronary imaging in elderly patients using the 64-row multi-detector computed tomography: a correlation study with conventional coronary angiography

Background Elderly patients generally have higher occurrence of coronary calcification, increased heart rate and difficulty with prolonged breath-holding. The aim of our study was to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of using 64-row multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) in the assessment of coronary artery stenoses in elderly patients. Methods One hundred and fifty two patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease were divided into 4 groups according to their age (Group A: 40-49 years,n=34; Group B: 50-59 years, n=57; Group C: 60-69 years, n=48; Group D: 70 years and above; n=13). Coronary CT angiography (CTA) using a 64-row MDCT was performed and the findings were compared with that of conventional coronary angiography (CCA).Using axial images, multi-planar reconstructions (MPR) and maximum intensity projections (MIP), coronary segments of lumen diameter = 1.5mm were analyzed for the presence of significant stenosis (= 50% ). Results Percentages of poor image quality from coronary CTA preventing reliable correlations with CCA were 21%, 14%, 19% and 62% in Groups A to D respectively. Patients in Group D had significantly higher calcium scores compared with the other groups (P＜0.001). In patients where CTA images were of acceptable quality, percentages of accurate correlations with CCA were 89.8%, 93.4%, 86.6% and 78.0% for Groups A to D respectively.There were no significant difference in serum creatinine, heart rate and contrast volume between the 4 groups. Conclusions The 64-row MDCT coronary angiography was less accurate and feasible for patients aged 70 years or above due to heavy coronary calcification and inability to perform a satisfactory breath-hold. However, a high diagnostic accuracy with the MDCT is possible in patients aged less than 70 years.

NON-INVASIVE IMAGING OF CORONARY ARTERY WITH 16-SLICE SPIRAL COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

To evaluate the value of 16-slice spiral CT in the demonstration of coronary artery and in the diagnose of coronary artery stenosis. Methods Plain and enhanced CT scans were performed with a 16-slice CT scanner (Sensation 16, Siemens, Germany) in 230 patients with suspected coronary heart disease (CHD). Parameters of the plain scan were: 120 kV, 133 mA, slice col-limation 16 mm×1.5 mm, rotation time 0.42 seconds, increment 1.5 mm, and slice width 3 mm. Parameters of the enhanced scan were: 120 kV, 500 mA, slice collimation 16 mm×0.75 mm, rotation time 0.42 seconds, increment 0.5 mm, and slice width 1 mm. Enhanced CT scan was performed with a rapid intravenous injection of 100 mL iothalamate meglumine (Ultravist) (370 mgI/mL) or Omnipaque (350 mgI/mL) and 30 mL 0.9% NaCl chaser bolus at a flow rate of 3.5 mL/s. Calcium scoring with plain scan images and two and three dimensional reconstruction with enhanced scan images were made in all cases, among which 30 cases underwent conventional coronary angiography. Demonstration of coronary arteries and their stenosis were evaluated and the factors that might influence the image quality were analyzed. Results Coronary calcium scores were calculated and coronary artery was demonstrated in our study. In the evaluationof image quality with volume rendering technique (VRT) images, 78.3% of the images were of the first class, 12.2% the sec-ond class, and 9.6% the third class. Multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) and maximal intensity projection (MIP) were better than VRT in the demonstration of small branches. The image quality was related to the heart rate, with or without arrhythmia, and breath-hold ability of patients. Comparative study of the stenosis of coronary arteries in 30 cases showed that the sensi-tivity and specificity of 16-slice coronary CT angiography (CTA) to diagnose significant stenosis were 95.8% and 94.8% resp-ectively. Conclusion As a non-invasive and quick method, 16-slice coronary CTA is sensitive and specific to diagnose the stenosis of coronary arteries and can be used as a screening method in the diagnosis of CHD.

Comparison of 16 slice multi-detector computed tomography and breath hold 3D magnetic resonance angiography in the detection of coronary stenosis

Objective To compare 16-slice multi-detector spiral computed tomography (MDCT) and breathhold 3D magnetic resonance (MR) coronary angiography in the visualization of coronary arteries and the accuracy of detecting significant (＞ 50%) coronary stenoses in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Methods Forty patients were examined by 16-slice CT (GE, Lightspeedl6)and MR (GE,Twinspeed) within 3 days; 31 of them underwent conventional coronary angiography (CAG) within 2 weeks after CT and MR scan. CT was performed with 16× 1.25 mm detector collimation, 0.5 s rotation time and images were reconstructed at 60%-75% of the cardiac cycle. MR was performed with breath hold 3D FIESTA (TR4.0 ms, TE1.7 ms, flip angle 65, slice thickness 3 mm, FOV 280 mm, matrix 256× 192). Mean heart rate was 63 ± 5.8 bpm and β-blocker was used in 24 patients. MR and CT image quality was evaluated in 9 coronary segments (RCA1, RCA2, RCA3, LM, LAD1, LAD2, LAD3, LCX1, LCX2) using a four-point grading scale.Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were calculated for detection of significant stenosis using CAG as the gold standard. Results 16-slice CT showed higher image quality in most coronary segments except RCA2.Forty-three segments were diagnosed as significant stenosis by CAG, 36 and 27 of these were correctly detected by CT and MR respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 16-slice CT and MR for detecting significant stenosis were 83 %, 84 %, 49 %, 97 % and 63 %, 90 %, 55 %, 93 %, respectively. Conclusion Sixteen-slice CT showed higher image quality in most coronary segments excepted for middle RCA. 16-slice CT had higher sensitivity than MR for detection of coronary significant stenosis, whereas MR had higher specificity than CT. Both CT and MR showed high negative predictive value,which is useful for excluding coronary stenosis in symptomatic patients.

Relation between Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness Assessed by Multidetector Computed Tomography and Significance of Coronary Artery Disease

Objective: To evaluate the relation between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness and also pericoronary fat assessed by Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) with both calcium score and significance of coronary artery disease. Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (the visceral fat of the heart present under the visceral layer of the pericardium) has the same origin of abdominal visceral fat, which is known to be strongly related to the development of coronary artery atherosclerosis. Multidetector CT (MDCT) provides an accurate and reproducible quantification of EAT due to its high spatial and temporal resolution. Patients and Methods: The current study included 70 patients with low-intermediate probability of coronary artery disease. All patients were subjected to 256 Multidetectors CT to assess EAT thickness, the mean thickness of the pericoronary fat surrounding the three coronary arteries and coronary calcium score. Also coronary CT angiography was done and patients were then divided into 3 groups according to significance of coronary atherosclerosis: Group 1: No atherosclerosis (20 patients), Group 2: Non obstructive atherosclerosis (luminal narrowing less than 50% in diameter) (25 patients), Group3: Obstructive atherosclerosis (luminal narrowing ≥ 50%) (25 patients). Results: The mean EAT thickness and the mean pericoronary fat thickness were significantly higher in patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) with stenosis > 50% (group 3) compared to other groups with normal coronaries or non obstructive (CAD). ROC curve was used to define the best cut off value of the thickness of both EAT and pericoronary fat in predicting the obstructive CAD group which was ≥7.2 and 12.6 mm for epicardial and pericoronary fat respectively. Also there is a positive correlation between both epicardial adipose tissue and pericoronary fat thickness and the coronary calcium score. Conclusion: EAT thickness and pericoronary fat thickness can be used in predicting the significance of coronary artery disease.

Emerging role of computed tomography coronary angiography in evaluation of children with Kawasaki disease

Coronary artery abnormalities are the most important complications in children with Kawasaki disease(KD).Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography currently is the standard of care for initial evaluation and follow-up of children with KD.However,it has inherent limitations with regard to evaluation of mid and distal coronary arteries and,left circumflex artery and the poor acoustic window in older children often makes evaluation difficult in this age group.Catheter angiography(CA)is invasive,has high radiation exposure and fails to demonstrate abnormalities beyond lumen.The limitations of echocardiography and CA necessitate the use of an imaging modality that overcomes these problems.In recent years advances in computed tomography technology have enabled explicit evaluation of coronary arteries along their entire course including major branches with optimal and acceptable radiation exposure in children.Computed tomography coronary angiography(CTCA)can be performed during acute as well as convalescent phases of KD.It is likely that CTCA may soon be considered the reference standard imaging modality for evaluation of coronary arteries in children with KD.

Novel Approaches for the Use of Cardiac/Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography

Recent developments in the novel imaging technology of cardiac computed tomography(CT)not only permit detailed assessment of cardiac anatomy but also provide insight into cardiovascular physiology.Foremost,coronary CT angiography(CCTA)enables direct noninvasive examination of both coronary artery stenoses and atherosclerotic plaque characteristics.Calculation of computational fl uid dynamics by cardiac CT allows the noninvasive estimation of fractional fl ow reserve,which increases the diagnostic accuracy for detection of hemodynamically signifi cant coronary artery disease.In addition,a combination of myocardial CT perfusion and CCTA can provide simultaneous anatomical and functional assessment of coronary artery disease.Finally,detailed anatomical evaluation of atrial,ventricular,and valvular anatomy provides diagnostic information and guidance for procedural planning,such as for transcatheter aortic valve replacement.The clinical applications of cardiac CT will be extended with the development of these novel modalities.

Radiation dose analysis of computed tomography coronary angiography in Children with Kawasaki disease

BACKGROUND There is evolving role of computed tomography coronary angiography(CTCA)in non-invasive evaluation of coronary artery abnormalities in children with Kawasaki disease(KD).Despite this,there is lack of data on radiation dose in this group of children undergoing CTCA.AIM To audit the radiation dose of CTCA in children with KD.METHODS Study(December 2013-February 2018)was performed on dual source CT scanner using adaptive prospective electrocardiography-triggering.The dose length product(DLP in milligray-centimeters-mGy.cm)was recorded.Effective radiation dose(millisieverts-mSv)was calculated by applying appropriate age adjusted conversion factors as per recommendations of International Commission on Radiological Protection.Radiation dose was compared across the groups(0-1,1-5,5-10,and>10 years).RESULTS Eighty-five children(71 boys,14 girls)with KD underwent CTCA.The median age was 5 years(range,2 mo-11 years).Median DLP and effective dose was 21 mGy.cm,interquartile ranges(IQR)=15(13,28)and 0.83 mSv,IQR=0.33(0.68,1.01)respectively.Mean DLP increased significantly across the age groups.Mean effective dose in infants(0.63 mSv)was significantly lower than the other age groups(1-5 years 0.85 mSv,5-10 years 1.04 mSv,and>10 years 1.38 mSv)(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the effective dose between the other groups of children.All the CTCA studies were of diagnostic quality.No child required a repeat examination.CONCLUSION CTCA is feasible with submillisievert radiation dose in most children with KD.Thus,CTCA has the potential to be an important adjunctive imaging modality in children with KD.

Artificial intelligence in coronary computed tomography angiography

Coronary computed tomography angiography(CCTA)is recommended as a frontline diagnostic tool in the non-invasive assessment of patients with suspected coronary artery disease(CAD)and cardiovascular risk stratification.To date,artificial intelligence(AI)techniques have brought major changes in the way that we make individualized decisions for patients with CAD.Applications of AI in CCTA have produced improvements in many aspects,including assessment of stenosis degree,determination of plaque type,identification of high-risk plaque,quantification of coronary artery calcium score,diagnosis of myocardial infarction,estimation of computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve,left ventricular myocardium analysis,perivascular adipose tissue analysis,prognosis of CAD,and so on.The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of current status of AI in CCTA.

Diagnostic accuracy of a deep learning approach to calculate FFR from coronary CT angiography

Background The computational fluid dynamics(CFD)approach has been frequently applied to compute the fractional flow reserve(FFR)using computed tomography angiography(CTA).This technique is efficient.We developed the DEEPVESSEL-FFR platform using the emerging deep learning technique to calculate the FFR value out of CTA images in five minutes.This study is to evaluate the DEEPVESSEL-FFR platform using the emerging deep learning technique to calculate the FFR value from CTA images as an efficient method.Methods A single-center,prospective study was conducted and 63 patients were enrolled for the evaluation of the diagnostic performance of DEEPVESSEL-FFR.Automatic quantification method for the three-dimensional coronary arterial geometry and the deep learning based prediction of FFR were developed to assess the ischemic risk of the stenotic coronary arteries.Diagnostic performance of the DEEPVESSEL-FFR was assessed by using wire-based FFR as reference standard.The primary evaluation factor was defined by using the area under receiver-operation characteristics curve(AUC)analysis.Results For per-patient level,taking the cut-off value<0.8 referring to the FFR measurement,DEEPVESSEL-FFR presented higher diagnostic performance in determining ischemia-related lesions with area under the curve of 0.928 compare to CTA stenotic severity 0.664.DEEPVESSEL-FFR correlated with FFR(R=0.686,P<0.001),with a mean di&ference of-0.006士0.0091(P=0.619).The secondary evaluation factors,indicating per vessel accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value were 87.3%,97.14%,75%,82.93%,and 95.45%,respectively.Conclusion DEEPVESSEL-FFR is a novel method that allows efficient assessment of the functional significance of coronary stenosis.

Current characteristics of congenital coronary artery fistulas in adults:A decade of global experience

AIM:To describe the characteristics of coronary artery fistulas(CAFs) in adults,including donor vessels and whether termination was cameral or vascular. METHODS:A PubMed search was performed for articles between 2000 and 2010 to describe the current characteristics of congenital CAFs in adults.A group of 304 adults was collected.Clinical data,presentations,diagnostic modalities,angiographic fistula findings and treatment strategies were gathered and analyzed.With regard to CAF origin,the subjects were tabulated into unilateral,bilateral or multilateral fistulas and compared.The group was stratified into two major subsets according to the mode of termination;coronary-cameral fistulas(CCFs) and coronary-vascular fistulas(CVFs) . A comparison was made between the two subsets. Fistula-related major complications[aneurysm formation,infective endocarditis(IE) ,myocardial infarction(MI) ,rupture,pericardial effusion(PE) and tamponade] were described.Coronary artery-ventricular multiple micro-fistulas and acquired CAFs were excluded as well as anomalous origin of the coronary arteries from the pulmonary artery(PA) . RESULTS:A total of 304 adult subjects(47%male) with congenital CAFs were included.The mean age was51.4 years(range,18-86 years) ,with 20%older than 65 years of age.Dyspnea(31%) ,chest pain(23%) and angina pectoris(21%) were the prevalent clinical presentations.Continuous cardiac murmur was heard in 82%of the subjects.Of the applied diagnostic modalities,chest X-ray showed an abnormal shadow in 4%of the subjects.The cornerstone in establishing the diagnosis was echocardiography(68%) ,and conventional contrast coronary angiography(97%) .However,multislice detector computed tomography was performed in 16%.The unilateral fistula originated from the left in 69%and from the right coronary artery in 31%of the subjects.Most patients(80%) had unilateral fistulas,18%presented with bilateral fistulas and 2%with multilateral fistulas.Termination into the PA was reported in unilateral(44%) ,bilateral(73%) and multilateral(75%) fistulas.Fistulas with multiple origins(bilateral and multilateral) terminated more frequently into the PA(29%) than into other sites(10.6%)(P=0.000) . Aneurysmal formation was found in 14%of all subjects.Spontaneous rupture,PE and tamponade were reported in 2%of all subjects.In CCFs,the mean age was 46.2 years whereas in CVFs mean age was 55.6 years(P=0.003) .IE(4%) was exclusively associated with CCFs,while MI(2%) was only found in subjects with CVFs.Surgical ligation was frequently chosen for unilateral(57%) ,bilateral(51%) and multilateral fistulas(66%) ,but percutaneous therapeutic embolization(PTE) was increasingly reported(23%,17%and 17%,respectively) . CONCLUSION:Congenital CAFs are currently detected in elderly patients.Bilateral fistulas are more frequently reported and PTE is more frequently applied as a therapeutic strategy in adults.

Coronary artery disease in congenital single coronary artery in adults:A Dutch case series

AIM:To assess the current diagnostic and therapeutic management and the clinical implications of congenital single coronary artery(SCA) in adults.METHODS:We identified 15 patients with a SCA detected from four Dutch angiography centers in the period between 2010 and 2013.Symptomatic patients who underwent routine diagnostic coronary angiography(CAG) for suspected coronary artery disease and who incidentally were found to have isolated SCA were analyzed.RESULTS:Fifteen(7 females) with a mean age of 58.5 ± 13.78 years(range 43-86) had a SCA.ConventionalCAG demonstrated congenital isolated SCA originating as a single ostium from the right sinus of Valsalva in 6 patients and originating from the left in 9 patients.Minimal to moderate coronary atherosclerotic changes were found in 4,and severe stenotic lesions in another 4 patients.Seven patients were free of coronary atherosclerosis.Runs of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia were documented in 2 patients,one of whom demonstrated transmural ischemic changes on presentation.Myocardial perfusion scintigraphic evidence of transmural myocardial ischemia was found in 1 patient due to kinking and squeezing of the SCA with an interarterial course between the aorta and pulmonary artery.Multi-slice computed tomography(MSCT) was helpful to delineate the course of the anomalous artery relative to the aorta and pulmonary artery.Percutaneous coronary intervention was successfully performed in 3 patients.Eight patients were managed medically.Arterial bypass graft was performed in 4 patients with the squeezed SCA.CONCLUSION:SCA may be associated with transient transmural myocardial ischemia and aborted sudden death in the absence of coronary atherosclerosis.The availability and sophistication of MSCT facilitates the delineation of the course of a SCA.We present a Dutch case series and review of the literature.

Coronary CT angiography:Beyond morphological stenosis analysis

With the introduction of 64- and post-64 slice computed tomography(CT)technology,coronary CT angiography has been increasingly used as a less invasive modality for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease.Despite its high diagnostic value and promising results compared to invasive coronary angiography,coronary CT angiography is associated with high radiation dose,leading to potential risk of radiation-induced cancer.A variety of dose-reduction strategies have been reported recently to reduce radiation dose with effective outcomes having been achieved.This article presents an overview of the various methods currently used for radiation dose reduction.

Incidental congenital coronary artery vascular fistulas in adults:Evaluation with adenosine-13N-ammonia PET-CT

AIM To assess the functionality of congenital coronary artery fistulas(CAFs) using adenosine stress ^(13)N-ammonia positron emission tomography computed tomography(PET-CT).METHODS Congenital CAFs were incidentally detected during coronary angiography(CAG) procedures in 11 adult patients(six males and five females) with a mean age of 64.3 years(range 41-81). Patients were collected from three institutes in the Netherlands. The characteristics of the fistulas(origin, pathway and termination), multiplicity of the origins and pathways of the fistulous vessels were assessed by CAG. Five patients underwent adenosine pharmacologic stress ^(13)N-ammonia PET-CT to assess myocardial perfusion and the functional behavior of the fistula. RESULTS Eleven patients with 12 CAFs, 10 unilateral and one bilateral, originating from the left anterior descending coronary artery(n = 8), right coronary artery(n = 2) and circumflex(n = 2). All fistulas were of the vascular type, terminating into either the pulmonary artery(n = 11) or coronary sinus(n = 1). The CAG delineated the characteristics of the fistula(origin, pathway and termination). Multiplicity of the origins and pathways of the fistulous vessels were common in most fistulas(8/12, 67% and 9/12, 75%, respectively). Multiplicity was common among the different fistula components(23/36, 64%). Adenosine pharmacologic stress ^(13)N-ammonia PET-CT revealed normal myocardial perfusion and ejection fraction in all but one patient, who showed a reduced ejection fraction.CONCLUSION PET-CT may be helpful for assessing the functional status of congenital CAFs in selected patients regarding clinical decision-making. Studies with a larger patient series are warranted.

Radiation dose measurements in coronary CT angiography

Coronary computed tomography(CT)angiography has been recognized as the most rapidly developed imaging technique in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease due to the emergence and technological advances in multislice CT scanners.Coronary CT angiography has been confirmed to demonstrate high diagnostic and predictive value in coronary artery disease when compared to invasive coronary angiography.However,it suffers from high radiation dose which raises concerns in the medical field.Various dose-reduction strategies have been proposed with effective outcomes having been achieved to reduce radiation exposure to patients.This article provides an introduction and overview of the series of articles that will focus on each particular topic related to coronary CT angiography.