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High-pitch, dual-source chest computed tomography angiography without electrocardiographic synchronization:
Nunzia Tacelli1, Christine Darchis, François Pontana
1*Department of Thoracic Imaging, Hospital Calmette †Department of Medical Statistics, University of Lille Nord de France, Lille, France.
Insights
High-pitch, dual-source computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the chest minimizes cardiac motion artifacts. This technique provides high-quality imaging of pulmonary arteries, crucial for accurate diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Cardiovascular Imaging
Background:
- Cardiac motion artifacts can degrade the quality of computed tomography angiography (CTA) images.
- High-pitch, dual-source CT scanners offer high temporal resolution, potentially reducing motion artifacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the frequency and severity of cardiac motion artifacts in high-pitch, dual-source chest CT angiography.
- To evaluate the impact of these artifacts on pulmonary artery visualization.
Main Methods:
- One hundred patients underwent non-electrocardiogram-gated, dual-source chest CT with high pitch and temporal resolution.
- Analysis of pulmonary arteries at multiple levels (central, lobar, segmental, subsegmental) for motion-related artifacts.
Main Results:
- Cardiac motion artifacts were infrequent, affecting the pulmonary trunk in only 2% of patients.
- Pseudofilling defects (0.042%) and "double contour" vessel walls were rare; twinkling star artifacts occurred in 3.8% of segments.
- 23% of patients had some motion artifacts, but 77% had motion-free pulmonary artery imaging.
Conclusions:
- Routine high-pitch, dual-source CT angiography of the chest yields examinations largely free from detrimental cardiac motion artifacts.
- This imaging technique is effective for visualizing pulmonary arteries with high diagnostic quality.
Purpose:
To evaluate the frequency and severity of cardiac motion artifacts on high-pitch, dual-source computed tomography angiograms of the chest.
Materials And Methods:
One hundred consecutive patients underwent a non-electrocardiogram-gated, dual-source chest computed tomography examination with high pitch and high temporal resolution.
Results:
The mean (±SD) duration of data acquisition was 0.9 (±0.07) seconds and the mean (±SD) heart rate was 78.9 (±15.2) bpm. Cardiac motion artifacts were seen at the level of the pulmonary trunk in 2 patients (2%). Among the 7000 pulmonary arteries analyzed (5 central, 5 lobar, 20 segmental, and 40 subsegmental arteries/patient), pseudofilling defects were depicted at the level of 3 arteries (0.042%), always seen with the concurrent presence of a "double contour" appearance of the vessel walls. Twinkling star artifacts beyond the subsegmental level were seen within 76 segments (76/2000; 3.8% of the examined segments), most commonly in the lingula and left lower lobe. A total of 23 patients (23%) showed at least 1 category of motion artifacts, whereas 77 patients (77%) had motion-free imaging of the pulmonary arteries.
Conclusions:
Routine scanning of patients with high pitch and high temporal resolution provides examinations devoid of detrimental cardiac motion artifacts.
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