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Electron-beam CT in the noninvasive assessment of coronary stent patency
H Pump1, S Moehlenkamp, C Sehnert
1Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Ruhr, Germany.
Rationale And Objectives:
Coronary artery stents reduce the rate of restenosis in patients who have undergone balloon angioplasty; therefore, the implantation of coronary stents represents an important method in the treatment of coronary stenoses. The authors' purpose was to investigate the usefulness of electron-beam computed tomography (CT) as a noninvasive means of assessing the patency of coronary artery stents in patients who had undergone balloon angioplasty and stent placement.
Materials And Methods:
Electron-beam CT was used to assess stent patency in 177 patients with 285 stents. Contrast material-enhanced multisection flow studies were performed, and the images were evaluated by three investigators and compared with the findings of coronary angiography.
Results:
Cine loop evaluations and time-attenuation curve analysis led to the correct diagnosis in 167 (94.3%) patients, as confirmed with coronary angiography. Stenoses had occurred in 18 of the 194 vessels with stents, and 14 of these were detected with electron-beam CT.
Conclusion:
Electron-beam CT appears to be a valuable imaging modality in the noninvasive assessment of stent patency in coronary arteries.