Common atrium and the associated malformations: Evaluation by low-dose dual-source computed tomography

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease

Background:

• Common atrium (CA) is a rare congenital heart disease with limited studies on its morphological characteristics.
• Existing research primarily consists of case reports, highlighting a need for detailed morphological assessments.
• Accurate diagnosis of associated malformations is crucial for effective management of CA patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the morphological characteristics of common atrium (CA).
• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of low-dose dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) in assessing associated malformations in CA patients.
• To compare the diagnostic performance of DSCT with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one pediatric and adolescent patients with common atrium (CA) underwent low-dose dual-source computed tomography (DSCT).
• Ventricular types and associated malformations were assessed using DSCT.
• Diagnostic accuracy of DSCT and TTE for associated malformations was compared, and effective radiation doses were calculated.

Main Results:

• Patients were categorized into CA with biventricular physiology (n=7) and CA with single ventricle (SV) (n=14).
• A significant number of associated malformations were identified: 22 in CA and 56 in CA with SV.
• DSCT demonstrated superior sensitivity over TTE in detecting intracardiac anomalies (92.31% vs 76.92%), great vessels anomalies (100% vs 77.50%), and collateral vessels (100% vs 20.00%). The mean effective dose was low (<1 mSv).

Conclusions:

• Low-dose DSCT is an effective imaging modality for pediatric and adolescent patients with common atrium (CA).
• DSCT provides detailed morphological information of CA and associated malformations with high diagnostic accuracy.
• DSCT serves as an ideal alternative imaging tool, surpassing TTE in detecting various cardiac and vascular anomalies.