64-slice computed tomography assessment of coronary artery stents: a phantom study

• Published in: Acta radiologica (1987) Vol. 47; no. 1; p. 36
• Main Authors: Mahnken, A H, Mühlenbruch, G, Seyfarth, T, Flohr, T, Stanzel, S, Wildberger, J E, Günther, R W, Kuettner, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.02.2006
• Subjects: Coronary Angiography - instrumentation; Coronary Angiography - methods; Coronary Stenosis - diagnosis; Graft Occlusion, Vascular - diagnosis; Observer Variation; Phantoms, Imaging; Reproducibility of Results; Stents; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - instrumentation; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods
• ISSN: 0284-1851
• DOI: 10.1080/02841850500406779

To compare the use of a new 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner with 16-slice CT in the visualization of coronary artery stent lumen. Eight different coronary artery stents, each with a diameter of 3 mm, were placed in a static chest phantom. The phantom was positioned in the CT gantry at an angle of 0 degrees and 45 degrees towards the z-axis and examined with both a 64-slice and a 16-slice CT scanner. Effective slice thickness was 0.6 mm with 64-slice CT and 1 mm with 16-slice CT. A reconstruction increment of 0.3 mm was applied in both scanners. Image quality was assessed visually using a 5-point grading scale. Stent diameters were measured and compared using paired Wilcoxon tests. Artificial lumen reduction was significantly less with 64-slice than with 16-slice CT. Average visible stent lumen was 53.4% using 64-slice CT and 47.5% with 16-slice MSCT. Most severe artifacts were seen in stents with radiopaque markers. Using 64-slice CT, image noise increased by approximately 30% due to thinner slice thickness. Improved spatial resolution of 64-slice CT resulted in superior assessment of coronary artery stent lumen compared to 16-slice CT. However, a relevant part of the stent lumen is still not assessable with multi-slice CT.