In-stent restenosis and multislice computed tomography: is the method ready to start?

We present two patients revascularized by coronary stents and evaluated by multislice computed tomography (CT). In first patient, angio-CT (16 slices/rotation scanner) detected a high-grade restenosis on the distal part of a drug-eluting stent; conventional coronary angiography confirmed the diagnosis. In second patient, angio-CT (64 slices/rotation) showed a tissue proliferation, non-flow-limiting, in the proximal part of a bare metal stent; conventional angiography confirmed the diagnosis. Blooming effects and partial volume averaging still limit the widespread application of this method. New scanners and the use of a special convolution kernel are likely to improve the accuracy of CT angiography in patients with stents.