Coronary artery bypass graft flow: qualitative evaluation with cine single-detector row CT and comparison with...

A four-point ordinal-scale qualitative flow index was used for assessment of patency of 75 coronary artery bypass grafts in 26 patients examined with spiral computed tomography (CT). CT findings were compared with selective graft angiographic findings. Of 54 open grafts, 52 were patent at initial selective graft angiography and 50 were patent at spiral CT; accuracy rates were 97% (73 of 75) and 95% (71 of 75), respectively. Spiral CT flow index agreed with angiographically determined flow in 85% (95% CI: 0.77, 0.93) of grafts. The kappa statistic demonstrated very good to excellent intermodality (0.75) and interobserver (0.89) agreement. Spiral CT may be a feasible means of assessing quality of flow in bypass grafts.