Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
Published on: August 28, 2018
Transluminal attenuation gradient in coronary computed tomography angiography for determining stenosis severity of
Minwen Zheng1, Mengqi Wei, Didi Wen
1Department of Radiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, 127# Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi Province, China, zhengmw2007@163.com.
Objectives:
To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transluminal attenuation gradient (TAG) for stenosis severity of calcified lesions assessed by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).
Methods:
One hundred seven patients who underwent CCTA and coronary angiography (CAG) were enrolled. TAGs of 309 major epicardial coronary arteries were measured. The impact of plaque composition, Agatston scores, and lesion length ratio on TAG were analyzed. Diagnostic performance vs. CAG of TAG, CCTA, and combined TAG/CCTA were evaluated, and incremental value of TAG for reclassification of CCTA stenosis severity in calcified lesions was also analyzed.
Results:
TAG decreased consistently with stenosis severity. TAG was significantly lower in coronary arteries with calcification scores >300 and lesion length ratios >2/3. TAG improved diagnostic accuracy of CCTA (c-statistic =0.982 vs. 0.942, P = 0.0001) in calcified lesions, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of TAG cutoff ≤ -11.33 were 72 %, 91 %, 88 %, and 78 %, respectively. The addition of TAG to CCTA resulted in significant reclassification (NRI =0.093, P = 0.022) in calcified vessels.
Conclusions:
Measurement of TAG may improve diagnostic performance and reclassification of CCTA in coronary stenosis caused by calcified lesions.
Key Points:
• TAG decreased as calcification scores and lesion length increased. • TAG markedly improved the diagnostic performance of CCTA for calcified lesions. • TAG improved reclassification of coronary artery stenosis severity in CCTA.
More Related Videos
09:32Time-Resolved, Dynamic Computed Tomography Angiography for Characterization of Aortic Endoleaks and Treatment Guidance via 2D-3D Fusion-Imaging
Published on: December 9, 2021
06:57Author Spotlight: Advancing Cardiovascular Imaging - Introducing the Spatially Weighted Calcium Score for Early Disease Detection
Published on: September 22, 2023
Related Concept Videos
01:10Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
01:20Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System III: X-Ray
Definition and Purpose
An X-ray, or radiograph, is a non-invasive method that uses ionizing radiation to take images of internal structures. It is mainly used in cardiac imaging to examine the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels, aiming to identify abnormalities in the heart's size, shape, and position, such as heart failure, congenital defects, and vascular...
01:28Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
01:23Mitral Stenosis II: Clinical features and Diagnostic Tests
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies