Detection of anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA) by echocardiogram: When does computed tomographic angiography add value?

Background And Objective: There is limited literature comparing TTE and CCTA in children with suspected AAOCA. To determine the distribution of various coronary anomalies comparing TTE and CCTA data, and define the added value advanced imaging brings in clinical decision-making.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective review of data was obtained in patients aged 0-18 years who underwent TTE and CCTA for suspected AAOCA.

Role of gated cardiac computed tomographic angiography in the evaluation of postsurgical complications after stage I Norwood procedure and its implications on management: a comparative study with two-dimensional echocardiography.

Background: The Norwood procedure is the first part of a three-stage surgical palliation for patients with functionally single ventricle anatomy. Complications after the stage I operation are not uncommon. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is traditionally the mainstay for evaluation.

Aortic annular dimensions by non-contrast MRI using k-t accelerated 3D cine b-SSFP in pre-procedural assessment for transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a technical feasibility study.

To evaluate k-t accelerated 3D cine b-SSFP (balanced steady state free precession) as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique for aortic annular area measurement in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) planning compared to computed tomography angiography (CTA) and other non-contrast MRI sequences with reduced imaging time and without contrast administration. 6 volunteers and 7 TAVR candidates were prospectively enrolled. The volunteers underwent an MRI while TAVR candidates underwent an MRI and CTA.

A Papillary Fibroelastoma Involving Aortic and Pulmonary Valves: Findings on Multimodality Imaging.

Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma, a rare entity, is the second most common benign primary cardiac tumor. Commonly involving the cardiac valves, this entity is increasingly diagnosed using different imaging modalities. We present a rare case of simultaneous involvement of both the aortic and pulmonary valves in an asymptomatic patient who underwent different imaging modalities, including transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, nongated and gated computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.

Aortic Volumetry at Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography: Feasibility as a Sensitive Method for Monitoring Bicuspid Aortic Valve Aortopathy.

Objectives: Bicuspid aortic valve patients can develop thoracic aortic aneurysms and therefore require serial imaging to monitor aortic growth. This study investigates the reliability of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CEMRA) volumetry compared with 2-dimensional diameter measurements to identify thoracic aortic aneurysm growth.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective, institutional review board-approved, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant study was conducted on 20 bicuspid aortic valve patients (45 ± 8.

MR imaging of iliofemoral peripheral vascular calcifications using proton density-weighted, in-phase three-dimensional stack-of-stars gradient echo.

Purpose: The presence of vascular calcifications helps to determine percutaneous access for interventional vascular procedures and has prognostic value for future cardiovascular events. Unlike CT, standard MRI techniques are insensitive to vascular calcifications. In this prospective study, we tested a proton density-weighted, in-phase (PDIP) three-dimensional (3D) stack-of-stars gradient-echo pulse sequence with approximately 1 mm isotropic spatial resolution at 1.

The combined effect of multidetector-row computed tomographic tube voltage, tube current, and image reconstruction algorithm on the detection of pneumothorax after intervention.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine the lowest multidetector-row computed tomographic radiation dose parameters for the detection of pneumothorax after thoracic intervention.

Materials And Methods: An anthropomorphic chest phantom containing pneumothoraces was imaged with different tube voltages (80, 100, and 120 kV[p]) and tube currents (10, 20, 40, 75, and 110 mAs). The images were reconstructed with both filtered back projection (FBP) and iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms.

MDCT of chest, abdomen, and pelvis using attenuation-based automated tube voltage selection in combination with iterative reconstruction: an intrapatient study of radiation dose and image quality.

Objective: The purpose of this study was intrapatient comparison of image quality and radiation dose between MDCT scans of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis obtained with attenuation-based automated kilovoltage selection and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction and scans obtained with standard kilovoltage selection and a filtered backprojection image reconstruction algorithm.

Materials And Methods: One hundred one oncology patients who had undergone two chest, abdominal, and pelvis CT scans within 1 year were imaged with standard tube voltage selection of 120 kVp using a filtered backprojection reconstruction algorithm (protocol 1) and with attenuation-based automated tube voltage selection using an iterative reconstruction algorithm (protocol 2). Radiation dose parameters (volumetric CT dose index [CTDIvol], dose-length product, and effective dose) as well as image noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio were compared.