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Multislice CT coronary angiography: how to do it and what is the current clinical performance?

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Abstract

The introduction of multislice computed tomography (MSCT) has allowed non-invasive coronary angiography. Although widely applied, extensive information on technical details of the technique is lacking. This survey offers detailed information on patient preparation, data acquisition, reconstruction and interpretation. In addition, a summary of the available studies using MSCT for non-invasive angiography is provided. Based on pooled analysis of direct comparisons between MSCT and invasive angiography, the weighted mean sensitivity and specificity of current 16-slice MSCT for the detection of coronary artery disease are 88% and 96%, respectively. At present, the technique is particularly well suited for reliable exclusion of coronary artery disease. It is important to emphasise that MSCT only provides anatomical images, visualising the presence of atherosclerosis; information on the haemodynamic significance of these lesions (i.e. ischaemia) cannot be derived.

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Acknowledgements

J.D. Schuijf is financially supported by The Netherlands Heart Foundation, The Hague, The Netherlands, grant number 2002B105.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Filippo Cademartiri, Nico R. Mollet, Patrizia Malagutti, Giuseppe Runza & Pim J. de Feyter

  2. Department of Cardiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Filippo Cademartiri, Nico R. Mollet, Giuseppe Runza & Pim J. de Feyter

  3. Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliera di Parma, Parma, Italy

    Filippo Cademartiri & Giuseppe Runza

  4. Dept of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Joanne D. Schuijf & Jeroen J. Bax

  5. Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Joanne D. Schuijf

  6. The Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Joanne D. Schuijf

Authors
  1. Filippo Cademartiri
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  2. Joanne D. Schuijf
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  3. Nico R. Mollet
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  4. Patrizia Malagutti
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  5. Giuseppe Runza
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  6. Jeroen J. Bax
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  7. Pim J. de Feyter
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeroen J. Bax.

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Cademartiri, F., Schuijf, J.D., Mollet, N.R. et al. Multislice CT coronary angiography: how to do it and what is the current clinical performance?. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 32, 1337–1347 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-005-1856-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-005-1856-2

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