A KULTURÁLIS ÉS INNOVÁCIÓS MINISZTÉRIUM ÚNKP-23-3-I KÓDSZÁMÚ ÚJ NEMZETI KIVÁLÓSÁG
PROGRAMJÁNAK A ...(ÚNKP-23-3-I) Támogató: KIM
We compared ultra-high resolution (UHR), standard resolution (SR), and virtual non-calcium
(VNCa) reconstruction for coronary artery stenosis evaluation using photon-counting
computed tomography (PC-CT).One vessel phantom (4-mm diameter) containing solid calcified
lesions with 25% and 50% stenoses inside a thorax phantom with motion simulation underwent
PC-CT using UHR (0.2-mm slice thickness) and SR (0.6-mm slice thickness) at heart
rates of 60 beats per minute (bpm), 80 bpm, and 100 bpm. A paired t-test or Wilcoxon
test with Bonferroni correction was used.For 50% stenosis, differences in percent
mean diameter stenosis between UHR and SR at 60 bpm (51.0 vs 60.3), 80 bpm (51.7 vs
59.6), and 100 bpm (53.7 vs 59.0) (p ≤ 0.011), as well as between VNCa and SR at 60
bpm (50.6 vs 60.3), 80 bpm (51.5 vs 59.6), and 100 bpm (53.7 vs 59.0) were significant
(p ≤ 0.011), while differences between UHR and VNCa at all heart rates (p ≥ 0.327)
were not significant. For 25% stenosis, differences between UHR and SR at 60 bpm (28.0
vs 33.7), 80 bpm (28.4 vs 34.3), and VNCa vs SR at 60 bpm (29.1 vs 33.7) were significant
(p ≤ 0.015), while differences for UHR vs SR at 100 bpm (29.9 vs 34.0), as well as
for VNCa vs SR at 80 bpm (30.7 vs 34.3) and 100 bpm (33.1 vs 34.0) were not significant
(p ≥ 0.028).Stenosis quantification accuracy with PC-CT improved using either UHR
acquisition or VNCa reconstruction.PC-CT offers to scan with UHR mode and the reconstruction
of VNCa images both of them could provide improved coronary stenosis quantification
at increased heart rates, allowing a more accurate stenosis grading at low and high
heart rates compared to SR.Evaluation of coronary stenosis with conventional CT is
challenging at high heart rates. PC-CT allows for scanning with ECG-gated UHR and
SR modes. UHR and VNCa images were compared in a dynamic phantom. UHR improves stenosis
quantification up to 100 bpm. VNCa reconstruction improves stenosis evaluation up
to 80 bpm.
