Multislice spiral CT angiography in peripheral arterial occlusive disease: a valuable tool in detecting significant arterial lumen narrowing?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of multislice CT angiography (CTA) in detecting hemodynamically significant (> or =70%) lesions of lower extremity inflow and runoff arteries. Fifty patients (42 men, 8 women; mean age 68 years) with peripheral arterial occlusive disease underwent multislice spiral CTA and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) from the infrarenal aorta to the supramalleolar region. CT parameters were 4x2.5-mm collimation, 15-mm table increment/rotation (pitch 6), and 1.25-mm reconstruction increment. Semitransparent volume rendering technique (STVR) images with semitransparent display of the arterial lumen (opacity: 50%) and vascular calcifications (opacity: 20%), as well as maximum intensity projection (MIP), and MIP together with axial CT studies were independently reviewed for hemodynamically significant lesions (> or =70% cross-sectional area reduction). DSA was the standard of reference. In 46 patients, 260 lesions were found (95 stenoses, 165 occlusions). For detecting > or =70% lesions in all vessel regions, sensitivity and specificity were 84% and 78% (STVR), 89% and 74% (MIP), and 92% and 83% (MIP+axial CT), respectively, with a significantly lower sensitivity of STVR ( p<0.05) and a significantly lower specificity of MIP studies ( p<0.01). Sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 81% and 93% (STVR), 88% and 75% (MIP). and 92% and 95% (MIP+axial CT) at aortoiliac arteries, 92% and 73% (STVR), 95% and 70% (MIP) and 98% and 70% (MIP+axial CT) at femoropopliteal arteries, as well as 82% and 64% (STVR), 86% and 74% (MIP), and 90% and 74% (MIP+axial CT) at infrapopliteal arteries. Specificity of MIP-CTA was significantly lower in the aortoiliac region ( p<0.01), whereas STVR revealed significantly lower specificity at infrapopliteal arteries ( p<0.05). In the infrapopliteal region, the particular CTA imaging modalities led to misinterpretation regarding stenoses and occlusions in 39-45 cases, whereas only 0-6 significant aortoiliac and femoropopliteal lesions were misinterpreted. Multislice CTA is helpful in detecting hemodynamically significant lesions in peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Since axial CT studies yielded the most correct results, they should always be reviewed additionally. In the infrapopliteal region, exact lesion assessment remains problematic due to small vessel diameters.