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Published on: April 18, 2013
Optimizing coronary artery opacification and 3D reconstruction from human cadaver hearts in anatomy research
Misbaou Barry1, Mesut Gun2, Yuthiline Chabry3
1Laboratory of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Picardie-Jule Vernes, France; Department of Cardiac Surgery, Amiens Picardie University Hospital Center, 1 Rue du Professeur Christian CABROL, 80054, Amiens, Cedex1, France.
Insights
This study optimized radiopaque contrast injection for detailed coronary artery visualization in human cadavers. A 33% Visipaque and 66% latex mixture, injected gradually, achieved 100% opacification for 3D CT reconstruction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Anatomical Pathology
- Medical Imaging Technology
Background:
- Accurate visualization of coronary arteries is crucial for understanding cardiovascular anatomy and pathology.
- Previous methods for opacifying coronary arteries for CT imaging have limitations.
- Developing an optimized protocol is essential for reliable 3D reconstruction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the optimal dilution rate of a radiopaque agent for visualizing coronary arteries in human cadaver hearts.
- To establish a reproducible CT imaging protocol for detailed 3D anatomical modeling of coronary vasculature.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 30 human cadaver hearts fixed in formalin.
- Experimented with different ratios of Visipaque and latex contrast agents.
- Developed and refined an injection technique with controlled pressure (120-150 mm Hg) and CT scanning parameters.
- Performed 3D reconstruction using specialized software.
Main Results:
- Initial attempts showed minimal to partial opacification of coronary arteries.
- The optimized protocol, using a 33% Visipaque and 66% latex mixture, achieved 100% opacification in the final group (N=15).
- Significant differences in opacification percentages were observed across experimental groups (p < 0.005).
Conclusions:
- A refined protocol enables accurate CT imaging and 3D reconstruction of normal coronary artery anatomy.
- The study successfully developed a reliable method for opacifying coronary arteries for detailed anatomical study.
- This technique facilitates precise visualization of main and secondary coronary arteries.
Objective:
This study seeks to identify the ideal dilution rate of a radiopaque product to optimize the visualization of coronary arteries and their branches within human cadaver hearts. The process involves obtaining images in the anatomy laboratory and subsequently constructing a three-dimensional model.
Materials And Methods:
We utilized 30 human hearts fixed in 10 % formalin (9 females and 21 males) with a mean age of 79 ± 5 years. The initial experiment, involving the first four hearts (referred to as "group 1"), encountered difficulties in opacifying coronary arteries. In this phase, a probabilistic injection of 20 % Visipaque and 80 % latex, with coronary sinus ostium closure, was performed. The optimal mixture ratio was then determined as 33 % Visipaque and 66 % latex. Recognizing the need for on-site injection at the CT Scan table, this protocol was applied to the subsequent 11 hearts in "group 2." Closure of the coronary sinus was deemed unnecessary. The final 15 hearts, constituting "group 3," revealed that the injection should be gradual, maintaining controlled pressure between 120 and 150 mm Hg. Post-injection, hearts were scanned with the injected coronary arteries using an Optima 660 CT scanner. Two-dimensional images were acquired with parameters set at 64 × 0.625 mm, 100 kV, 300-400 mA, and a rotation of 0.5 s. Subsequently, 3D reconstruction was conducted using Advantage Workstation 4.7 (GE Healthcare) and volume rendering with Volume Viewer software, version 15.
Results:
Significant differences in the percentage of opacified coronaries were observed among the three groups (p < 0.005). This variation underscores the learning curve and comprehension required before establishing a reliable method. Group 1 (N = 4) demonstrated minimal opacification, group 2 (N = 11) displayed partial opacification, while group 3 (N = 15) achieved 100 % opacification of coronary arteries.
Conclusion:
The successive experiments culminated in the development of a protocol for CT imaging, enabling accurate three-dimensional reconstruction of the normal anatomy of the main and secondary coronary arteries. Our work is grounded in a series of progressively refined and successful experiments.
