2016 Volume 2 Issue 1 Pages 12-16
Objectives: In coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), half reconstruction has commonly been used to prioritize temporal resolution. With the latest 320-row area detector computed tomography (ADCT), the maximum tube rotation speed has been increased to 0.275 s/rotation, and full reconstruction could be used to improve image quality at low heart rate. We compared motion artifacts on full-reconstruction CCTA images with half-reconstruction images and investigated the heart rate at which full reconstruction might be indicated.
Methods: Among the 162 consecutive patients who underwent CCTA using 320-row ADCT at our hospital, 50 with a regular pulse and ≤60 bpm heart rate during imaging were included. Half-reconstruction and full-reconstruction images were created from the imaging data. Motion artifacts were visually assessed on a five-point scale, and the two image types were compared.
Results: Comparison between half-reconstruction and full-reconstruction images from all of the subjects with heart rate of ≤ 60 bpm indicated that motion artifacts were considerably more common in the latter. No statistically significant difference was found between the two image types from subjects with heart rate <50 bpm.
Conclusion: If ADCT with a faster tube rotation speed is used for CCTA, full reconstruction of images might be indicated in patients with heart rate <50 bpm.
