Semi-automatic assessment of global left ventricular function and left ventricular parameters with dual-source...

This study assesses the global left ventricular function and volumes using dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) with improved temporal resolution (83 ms) by use of a semi-automatic software tool in comparison to invasive angiography (IVA). One hundred patients scheduled for invasive coronary angiography because of suspected or known coronary artery disease (80 men; 20 women, mean age 62 +/- 10 years) were additionally examined by DSCT. Global left ventricular function (LVF), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), end-systolic volume (LVESV), and stroke volume (SV) were calculated by the use of semi-automatic post-processing software and results compared with those of IVA. Bland-Altman analysis revealed a good concordance between DSCT and IVA in terms of LVF: Pearson's r 0.78, confidence interval [CI] 0.68-0.86, P < 0.0001, bias 7.1% +/- 9.1%. The same was true for LVESV (Pearson's r 0.78, CI 0.67-0.85, P < 0.0001, bias 15.0 +/- 21.0 ml), whereas the agreement for LVEDV and SV was only moderate (LVEDV: Pearson's r 0.59, CI 0.43-0.72, P < 0.0001, bias 13.0 +/- 18.1 ml; SV: Pearson's r 0.47, CI 0.28-0.62, P < 0.0001, bias -1.4 +/- 28.4 ml). Semi-automatic evaluation of left ventricular parameters with DSCT revealed good correlation for LVF and LVESV, whereas LVEDV and SV showed only a moderate correlation. Moreover, LVF is systematically underestimated by DSCT.