BACKGROUND: Low tube voltage reduces radiation exposure in coronary CT angiography (CTA). Using 70 kVp tube potential has so far not been possible because CT systems were unable to provide sufficiently high tube current with low voltage. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated feasibility, image quality (IQ), and radiation dose of coronary CTA using a third-generation dual-source CT system capable of producing 450 mAs tube current at 70 kVp tube voltage. METHODS: Coronary CTA was performed in 26 consecutive patients with suspected coronary artery disease, selected for body weight <100 kg and heart rate <60 beats/min. High-pitch spiral acquisition was used. Filtered back projection (FBP) and iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms were applied. IQ was assessed using a 4-point rating scale (1 = excellent, 4 = nondiagnostic) and objective parameters. RESULTS: Mean age was 62 ± 9 years (46% males; mean body mass index, 27.7 ± 3.8 kg/m(2); mean heart rate, 54 ± 5 beats/min). Mean dose-length product was 20.6 ± 1.9 mGy × cm; mean estimated effective radiation dose was 0.3 ± 0.03 mSv. Diagnostic IQ was found in 365 of 367 (FBP) and 366 of 367 (IR) segments (P nonsignificant). IQ was rated "excellent" in 53% (FBP) and 86% (IR) segments (P = .001) and "nondiagnostic" in 2 (FBP) and 1 segment (IR) (P nonsignificant). Mean IQ score was lesser in FBP vs IR (1.5 ± 0.4 vs 1.1 ± 0.2; P < .001). Image noise was lower in IR vs FBP (60 ± 10 HU vs 74 ± 8 HU; P < .001). CONCLUSION: In patients <100 kg and with a regular heart rate <60 beats/min, third-generation dual-source CT using high-pitch spiral acquisition and 70 kVp tube voltage is feasible and provides both robust IQ and very low radiation exposure.
BACKGROUND: Low tube voltage reduces radiation exposure in coronary CT angiography (CTA). Using 70 kVp tube potential has so far not been possible because CT systems were unable to provide sufficiently high tube current with low voltage. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated feasibility, image quality (IQ), and radiation dose of coronary CTA using a third-generation dual-source CT system capable of producing 450 mAs tube current at 70 kVp tube voltage. METHODS: Coronary CTA was performed in 26 consecutive patients with suspected coronary artery disease, selected for body weight <100 kg and heart rate <60 beats/min. High-pitch spiral acquisition was used. Filtered back projection (FBP) and iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms were applied. IQ was assessed using a 4-point rating scale (1 = excellent, 4 = nondiagnostic) and objective parameters. RESULTS: Mean age was 62 ± 9 years (46% males; mean body mass index, 27.7 ± 3.8 kg/m(2); mean heart rate, 54 ± 5 beats/min). Mean dose-length product was 20.6 ± 1.9 mGy × cm; mean estimated effective radiation dose was 0.3 ± 0.03 mSv. Diagnostic IQ was found in 365 of 367 (FBP) and 366 of 367 (IR) segments (P nonsignificant). IQ was rated "excellent" in 53% (FBP) and 86% (IR) segments (P = .001) and "nondiagnostic" in 2 (FBP) and 1 segment (IR) (P nonsignificant). Mean IQ score was lesser in FBP vs IR (1.5 ± 0.4 vs 1.1 ± 0.2; P < .001). Image noise was lower in IR vs FBP (60 ± 10 HU vs 74 ± 8 HU; P < .001). CONCLUSION: In patients <100 kg and with a regular heart rate <60 beats/min, third-generation dual-source CT using high-pitch spiral acquisition and 70 kVp tube voltage is feasible and provides both robust IQ and very low radiation exposure.
Authors: Stefanie Mangold; Julian L Wichmann; U Joseph Schoepf; Zachary B Poole; Christian Canstein; Akos Varga-Szemes; Damiano Caruso; Fabian Bamberg; Konstantin Nikolaou; Carlo N De Cecco Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2016-02-04 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Thomas J Stocker; Simon Deseive; Jonathon Leipsic; Martin Hadamitzky; Marcus Y Chen; Ronen Rubinshtein; Mathias Heckner; Jeroen J Bax; Xiang-Ming Fang; Erik Lerkevang Grove; John Lesser; Pál Maurovich-Horvat; James Otton; Sanghoon Shin; Gianluca Pontone; Hugo Marques; Benjamin Chow; Cesar H Nomura; Ramzi Tabbalat; Axel Schmermund; Joon-Won Kang; Christopher Naoum; Melany Atkins; Eugenio Martuscelli; Steffen Massberg; Jörg Hausleiter Journal: Eur Heart J Date: 2018-11-01 Impact factor: 29.983
Authors: Nandini M Meyersohn; Balint Szilveszter; Pedro V Staziaki; Jan-Erik Scholtz; Richard A P Takx; Udo Hoffmann; Brian B Ghoshhajra Journal: J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr Date: 2017-03-22
Authors: Franziska M Braun; Veronica Holzner; Felix G Meinel; Marco Armbruster; Martina Brandlhuber; Birgit Ertl-Wagner; Wieland H Sommer Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2017-07-04 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Axel Schmermund; Mohamed Marwan; Jörg Hausleiter; Sebastian Barth; Oliver Bruder; Sebastian Kerber; Grigorius Korosoglou; Alexander Leber; Werner Moshage; Stephen Schröder; Steffen Schneider; Jochen Senges; Stephan Achenbach Journal: Clin Res Cardiol Date: 2017-07-19 Impact factor: 5.460