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Updated: Aug 24, 2026
In Vivo Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Structure, Function, Perfusion and Viability Using Cardiac Micro-computed Tomography
Published on: February 16, 2016
Image quality of noninvasive coronary angiography using multislice spiral computed tomography and electron-beam
Alexander Lembcke1, Till H Wiese, Joerg Schnorr
1Department of Radiology, Charité Medical School, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Schumannstrasse 20/21, 10098 Berlin, Germany. Alexander.Lembcke@gmx.de
Objective:
Comparison of coronary artery visualization by multislice spiral CT (MSCT) and electron-beam CT (EBCT).
Materials And Methods:
Six minipigs underwent MSCT (collimation 4 x 1 mm, gantry rotation time 500 milliseconds, acquisition time per cardiac cycle 126 +/- 30 milliseconds) and EBCT (slice thickness 1.5 mm, acquisition time per scan 100 milliseconds). Visualized vessel length and contour sharpness was measured, contrast-to-noise ratios were calculated, and the frequency of motion artifacts were evaluated.
Results:
MSCT depicted significantly longer segments of the coronary tree than EBCT (length: 248.8 vs. 222.8 mm; P < 0.05), delineated the vessel contours more sharply (slope of density curves: 219.2 vs. 160.2 DeltaHU/mm; P < 0.05), and had a higher contrast-to-noise ratio (13.4 vs. 7.3; P < 0.05). The frequency of motion artifacts did not differ between both modalities (94.7% vs. 95.7% of visualized vessel length; P > 0.05).
Conclusions:
Because its higher spatial resolution and lower image noise, MSCT seems to be superior to EBCT in the visualization of the coronary arteries. Despite different temporal resolutions motion artifacts seem to be similar with both modalities.
Insights
Multislice spiral CT (MSCT) offers superior coronary artery visualization compared to electron-beam CT (EBCT), showing longer segments and sharper contours. Motion artifacts were similar between the two imaging modalities.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular imaging
- Radiology
- Medical technology
Background:
- Electron-beam CT (EBCT) has been used for coronary artery imaging.
- Multislice spiral CT (MSCT) technology has advanced, necessitating a comparison of its capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the visualization quality of coronary arteries using multislice spiral CT (MSCT) versus electron-beam CT (EBCT).
Main Methods:
- Six minipigs were scanned using both MSCT and EBCT with specific parameters for collimation, rotation time, and acquisition time.
- Quantitative analysis included visualized vessel length, contour sharpness, contrast-to-noise ratios, and frequency of motion artifacts.
Main Results:
- MSCT depicted significantly longer coronary artery segments (248.8 vs. 222.8 mm) and sharper vessel contours (219.2 vs. 160.2 DeltaHU/mm) than EBCT.
- MSCT demonstrated a higher contrast-to-noise ratio (13.4 vs. 7.3).
- The frequency of motion artifacts was comparable between MSCT and EBCT.
Conclusions:
- MSCT appears superior to EBCT for coronary artery visualization due to higher spatial resolution and lower image noise.
- Despite differences in temporal resolution, motion artifacts were similar between the two CT modalities.
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