Computer technique for monitoring time dependent changes from sequential CT images

The sequential computed tomography (CT) images used in this manuscript are electrocardiogram-gated images of the same cross section of the heart (10 in this study) depicting one cardiac cycle from end-diastole to the next end-diastole. Each of these 10 reconstructions corresponds to 10% intervals extending from one R wave to the next R wave. When each image of the series of 10 images is assigned a consecutive table position, using the program for sagittal reconstructions a chronogram along any line through the X-Y plane of the left ventricular (LV) wall can be produced. The chronograms display changes in wall thickness and wall motion in relation to time throughout the cardiac cycle at a preselected site in the LV and can be used to demonstrate the LV myocardial response to perturbations. This technique adds the dimension of time to spatial information in the CT images and can be used to monitor cardiac physiology in a quantitative fashion.