RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the reconstruction interval dependent bandwidth of the coronary calcium score, considering different methods of image reconstruction and quantification of coronary calcifications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five patients underwent coronary calcium scoring by use of retrospectively ECG-gated multislice spiral CT. In all patients overlapping and nonoverlapping image reconstruction was performed every 10% of the RR-interval. Coronary calcium score was calculated for every reconstructed image series using the Agatston score and a volumetric scoring method. In 25 patients the analysis was performed twice to determine the reconstruction interval dependent intraobserver variability. RESULTS: For nonoverlapping image reconstruction the median of the calcium score determined by the Agatston method ranged from 125.8 to 216.2 and from 166.9 to 211.7 for the volumetric scoring method. For overlapping image reconstruction the corresponding values ranged from 91.6 to 160.5 for the Agatston score and 128.3 to 175.3 for the volumetric calcium score. Reconstruction interval dependent median (mean) variation of the coronary calcium score ranged from 24.1 (45.5)% for nonoverlapping image reconstruction using the Agatston score to 17.5 (25.2)% utilizing a volumetric calcium score with overlapping image reconstruction. There was no statistical significant (P< 0.05) difference between the different methods. Intraobserver variability for the different image reconstruction intervals ranged from 0.78% to 21.51%. The least intraobserver variability was found for overlapping image reconstruction during the diastole using the volumetric scoring method. CONCLUSIONS: Diastolic image reconstruction at 50% or 60% of the RR-interval is recommendable for retrospectively ECG-gated multislice spiral CT. Volumetric calcium scoring and overlapping image reconstruction are beneficial to reduce the variation of the coronary calcium score.
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the reconstruction interval dependent bandwidth of the coronary calcium score, considering different methods of image reconstruction and quantification of coronary calcifications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five patients underwent coronary calcium scoring by use of retrospectively ECG-gated multislice spiral CT. In all patients overlapping and nonoverlapping image reconstruction was performed every 10% of the RR-interval. Coronary calcium score was calculated for every reconstructed image series using the Agatston score and a volumetric scoring method. In 25 patients the analysis was performed twice to determine the reconstruction interval dependent intraobserver variability. RESULTS: For nonoverlapping image reconstruction the median of the calcium score determined by the Agatston method ranged from 125.8 to 216.2 and from 166.9 to 211.7 for the volumetric scoring method. For overlapping image reconstruction the corresponding values ranged from 91.6 to 160.5 for the Agatston score and 128.3 to 175.3 for the volumetric calcium score. Reconstruction interval dependent median (mean) variation of the coronary calcium score ranged from 24.1 (45.5)% for nonoverlapping image reconstruction using the Agatston score to 17.5 (25.2)% utilizing a volumetric calcium score with overlapping image reconstruction. There was no statistical significant (P< 0.05) difference between the different methods. Intraobserver variability for the different image reconstruction intervals ranged from 0.78% to 21.51%. The least intraobserver variability was found for overlapping image reconstruction during the diastole using the volumetric scoring method. CONCLUSIONS: Diastolic image reconstruction at 50% or 60% of the RR-interval is recommendable for retrospectively ECG-gated multislice spiral CT. Volumetric calcium scoring and overlapping image reconstruction are beneficial to reduce the variation of the coronary calcium score.
Authors: Georg Mühlenbruch; Ernst Klotz; Joachim E Wildberger; Ralf Koos; Marco Das; Matthias Niethammer; Christian Hohl; Dagmar Honnef; Christoph Thomas; Rolf W Günther; Andreas H Mahnken Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2006-07-04 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Andreas H Mahnken; Georg Mühlenbruch; Ralf Koos; Marco Das; Saskia Pohl; Sven Stanzel; Rolf W Günther; Joachim E Wildberger Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2005-08-20 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Ullrich Ebersberger; Dov Eilot; Roman Goldenberg; Alon Lev; J Reid Spears; Garrett W Rowe; Nicholas Y Gallagher; William T Halligan; Philipp Blanke; Marcus R Makowski; Aleksander W Krazinski; Justin R Silverman; Fabian Bamberg; Alexander W Leber; Ellen Hoffmann; U Joseph Schoepf Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2012-09-16 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Philipp G C Begemann; Udo van Stevendaal; Ralph Koester; Andreas H Mahnken; Andreas Koops; Gerhard Adam; Michael Grass; Claus Nolte-Ernsting Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2007-02-01 Impact factor: 7.034