Comprehensive assessment of radiation dose estimates for the CORE320 study

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively study estimated radiation doses for subjects included in the main analysis of the Combined Non-invasive Coronary Angiography and Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Using 320 Detector Computed Tomography (CORE320) study ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00934037), a clinical trial comparing combined CT angiography (CTA) and perfusion CT with the reference standard catheter angiography plus myocardial perfusion SPECT. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Prospectively acquired data on 381 CORE320 subjects were analyzed in four groups of testing related to radiation exposure. Radiation dose estimates were compared between modalities for combined CTA and perfusion CT with respect to covariates known to influence radiation exposure and for the main clinical outcomes defined by the trial. The final analysis assessed variations in radiation dose with respect to several factors inherent to the trial. RESULTS. The mean radiation dose estimate for the combined CTA and perfusion CT protocol (8.63 mSv) was significantly (p < 0.0001 for both) less than the average dose delivered from SPECT (10.48 mSv) and the average dose from diagnostic catheter angiography (11.63 mSv). There was no significant difference in estimated CTA-perfusion CT radiation dose for subjects who had false-positive or false-negative results in the CORE320 main analyses in a comparison with subjects for whom the CTA-perfusion CT findings were in accordance with the reference standard SPECT plus catheter angiographic findings. CONCLUSION. Radiation dose estimates from CORE320 support clinical implementation of a combined CT protocol for assessing coronary anatomy and myocardial perfusion.