Left ventricular functional analysis with 16- and 64-row multidetector computed tomography: comparison with gated...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Radiology
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Accurate assessment of left ventricular (LV) function is crucial in cardiovascular diagnostics.
• Electrocardiogram-gated computed tomography (CT) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are non-invasive imaging modalities used for cardiac evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), end-diastolic volume (EDV), and end-systolic volume (ESV) measurements between electrocardiogram-gated CT and gated SPECT.
• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CT in assessing LV volumes and function against SPECT.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-seven patients underwent both electrocardiogram-gated multidetector CT and SPECT within a 3-month period.
• LV EF, EDV, and ESV were calculated and compared between the two imaging modalities.
• Correlation coefficients and statistical significance were determined for all parameters.

Main Results:

• Excellent correlation was observed between LV EF derived from CT and SPECT (r = 0.81, P = 0.17).
• CT-derived EDV and ESV showed good correlation with SPECT (r = 0.88 and 0.94, respectively).
• LV volumes (EDV and ESV) were significantly lower on SPECT compared to CT (P = 0.0007 and P = 0.055, respectively).
• 64-row CT demonstrated superior correlation with SPECT for EF, EDV, and ESV compared to 16-row CT.

Conclusions:

• Gated CT, particularly 64-row multidetector CT, provides a good correlation with gated SPECT for LV EF, EDV, and ESV.
• LV volumes measured by SPECT tend to be lower than those measured by CT.
• CT is a reliable tool for assessing LV volumes and ejection fraction, comparable to SPECT.