PURPOSE: The authors assessed the effect of vascular attenuation and density thresholds on the classification of noncalcified plaque by computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients (men 25; age 59 ± 8 years) with stable angina underwent arterial and delayed CTCA. At sites of atherosclerotic plaque, attenuation values (HU) were measured within the coronary lumen, noncalcified and calcified plaque material and the surrounding epicardial fat. Based on the measured CT attenuation values, coronary plaques were classified as lipid rich (attenuation value below the threshold) or fibrous (attenuation value above the threshold) using 30-HU, 50-HU and 70-HU density thresholds. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-seven plaques (117 mixed and 50 noncalcified) were detected and assessed. The attenuation values of mixed plaques were higher than those of exclusively noncalcified plaques in both the arterial (148.3 ± 73.1 HU vs. 106.2 ± 57.9 HU) and delayed (111.4 ± 50.5 HU vs. 64.4 ± 43.4 HU) phases (p<0.01). Using a 50-HU threshold, 12 (7.2%) plaques would be classified as lipid rich on arterial scan compared with 28 (17%) on the delayed-phase scan. Reclassification of these 16 (9.6%) plaques from fibrous to lipid rich involved 4/30 (13%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Classification of coronary plaques as lipid rich or fibrous based on absolute CT attenuation values is significantly affected by vascular attenuation and density thresholds used for the definition.
PURPOSE: The authors assessed the effect of vascular attenuation and density thresholds on the classification of noncalcified plaque by computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients (men 25; age 59 ± 8 years) with stable angina underwent arterial and delayed CTCA. At sites of atherosclerotic plaque, attenuation values (HU) were measured within the coronary lumen, noncalcified and calcified plaque material and the surrounding epicardial fat. Based on the measured CT attenuation values, coronary plaques were classified as lipid rich (attenuation value below the threshold) or fibrous (attenuation value above the threshold) using 30-HU, 50-HU and 70-HU density thresholds. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-seven plaques (117 mixed and 50 noncalcified) were detected and assessed. The attenuation values of mixed plaques were higher than those of exclusively noncalcified plaques in both the arterial (148.3 ± 73.1 HU vs. 106.2 ± 57.9 HU) and delayed (111.4 ± 50.5 HU vs. 64.4 ± 43.4 HU) phases (p<0.01). Using a 50-HU threshold, 12 (7.2%) plaques would be classified as lipid rich on arterial scan compared with 28 (17%) on the delayed-phase scan. Reclassification of these 16 (9.6%) plaques from fibrous to lipid rich involved 4/30 (13%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Classification of coronary plaques as lipid rich or fibrous based on absolute CT attenuation values is significantly affected by vascular attenuation and density thresholds used for the definition.
Authors: S Schroeder; T Flohr; A F Kopp; C Meisner; A Kuettner; C Herdeg; A Baumbach; B Ohnesorge Journal: J Comput Assist Tomogr Date: 2001 Nov-Dec Impact factor: 1.826
Authors: Konstantin Nikolaou; Sonja Sagmeister; Andreas Knez; Ernst Klotz; Bernd J Wintersperger; Christoph R Becker; Maximilian F Reiser Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2003-08-20 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: W G Austen; J E Edwards; R L Frye; G G Gensini; V L Gott; L S Griffith; D C McGoon; M L Murphy; B B Roe Journal: Circulation Date: 1975-04 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: S Schroeder; A F Kopp; A Baumbach; C Meisner; A Kuettner; C Georg; B Ohnesorge; C Herdeg; C D Claussen; K R Karsch Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2001-04 Impact factor: 24.094
Authors: Morteza Naghavi; Peter Libby; Erling Falk; S Ward Casscells; Silvio Litovsky; John Rumberger; Juan Jose Badimon; Christodoulos Stefanadis; Pedro Moreno; Gerard Pasterkamp; Zahi Fayad; Peter H Stone; Sergio Waxman; Paolo Raggi; Mohammad Madjid; Alireza Zarrabi; Allen Burke; Chun Yuan; Peter J Fitzgerald; David S Siscovick; Chris L de Korte; Masanori Aikawa; K E Juhani Airaksinen; Gerd Assmann; Christoph R Becker; James H Chesebro; Andrew Farb; Zorina S Galis; Chris Jackson; Ik-Kyung Jang; Wolfgang Koenig; Robert A Lodder; Keith March; Jasenka Demirovic; Mohamad Navab; Silvia G Priori; Mark D Rekhter; Raymond Bahr; Scott M Grundy; Roxana Mehran; Antonio Colombo; Eric Boerwinkle; Christie Ballantyne; William Insull; Robert S Schwartz; Robert Vogel; Patrick W Serruys; Goran K Hansson; David P Faxon; Sanjay Kaul; Helmut Drexler; Philip Greenland; James E Muller; Renu Virmani; Paul M Ridker; Douglas P Zipes; Prediman K Shah; James T Willerson Journal: Circulation Date: 2003-10-14 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Christoph R Becker; Konstantin Nikolaou; Michael Muders; Gregor Babaryka; Alexander Crispin; U Joseph Schoepf; Udo Loehrs; Maximilian F Reiser Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2003-04-12 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Alexander W Leber; Andreas Knez; Alexander Becker; Christoph Becker; Franz von Ziegler; Konstantin Nikolaou; Carsten Rist; Maximilian Reiser; Carl White; Gerhard Steinbeck; Peter Boekstegers Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2004-04-07 Impact factor: 24.094
Authors: Morteza Naghavi; Peter Libby; Erling Falk; S Ward Casscells; Silvio Litovsky; John Rumberger; Juan Jose Badimon; Christodoulos Stefanadis; Pedro Moreno; Gerard Pasterkamp; Zahi Fayad; Peter H Stone; Sergio Waxman; Paolo Raggi; Mohammad Madjid; Alireza Zarrabi; Allen Burke; Chun Yuan; Peter J Fitzgerald; David S Siscovick; Chris L de Korte; Masanori Aikawa; K E Juhani Airaksinen; Gerd Assmann; Christoph R Becker; James H Chesebro; Andrew Farb; Zorina S Galis; Chris Jackson; Ik-Kyung Jang; Wolfgang Koenig; Robert A Lodder; Keith March; Jasenka Demirovic; Mohamad Navab; Silvia G Priori; Mark D Rekhter; Raymond Bahr; Scott M Grundy; Roxana Mehran; Antonio Colombo; Eric Boerwinkle; Christie Ballantyne; William Insull; Robert S Schwartz; Robert Vogel; Patrick W Serruys; Goran K Hansson; David P Faxon; Sanjay Kaul; Helmut Drexler; Philip Greenland; James E Muller; Renu Virmani; Paul M Ridker; Douglas P Zipes; Prediman K Shah; James T Willerson Journal: Circulation Date: 2003-10-07 Impact factor: 29.690