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256-channel CT yielded better image quality than 64-channel scanner
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Prospectively gated axial CT coronary angiography performed on a 256-channel scanner provided higher-quality images of coronary segments than those performed on a 64-channel scanner, according to a recent study.
Researchers for the prospective study enrolled 60 consecutive patients with suspected CAD. Patients were scanned with either a 256-channel scanner (n=30) or a 64-channel scanner (n=30). Image quality of coronary segments was then assessed by two independent observers and radiation exposure was compared between the two groups. Both groups were matched according to sex (42 men, 18 women), BMI (average of 25 for both groups) and heart rate (average of 56 beats per minute for both groups).
The researchers reported that the radiation dose in the 256-channel scanner group (3.9 mSv ± 0.7 mSv) was comparable with that of the 64-channel scanner group (3.7 mSv ± 0.8 mSv). The researchers also reported that the vessel-based image quality in the 256-channel scanner group was superior to that of the 64-channel group (P<.001).
“Prospectively gated axial CT coronary angiography performed on a 256-channel scanner has better image quality compared with a 64-channel scanner while maintaining radiation exposure constant,” Oliver Klass, MD, a radiologist at the University Medical Centre of the University of Ulm in Germany, said in a presentation. “The evolution of a new scanner generation further increases the robustness of the method, and this further development might conclusively move CT coronary angiography into the position of gold standard imaging for the rule out of CAD in patients with low to intermediate risk for CAD.” – Written by Eric Raible
For more information:
- Klass O. #SSJ03-03.