Four Chamber Normative Data for Computed Tomography Angiography in the Axial Plane

Weston Whittington, Akil Loli, Richard Gerkin, Kenneth Desser

.
Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, Phoenix, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/wjcs.2014.44011                

Abstract

Background: Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) is a new and promising type of imaging to evaluate cardiac structure and function. Although it does require injection of contrast material and some radiation exposure, it is much less invasive than conventional catheter based on angiography. It has been already shown to correlate well with echocardiography images, but normative values have yet to be established. Objectives: To publish the first known data on CTA measurements for all four chambers of the heart. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review study of around 3000 patients over a three-year period (2006-2008) from a private cardiology practice in Phoenix, Arizona. Patients were screened for any preexisting conditions that might contribute to abnormal cardiac structures. A “normal” population of 226 patients’ CTA’s was reviewed and 29 different measurements were taken cardiac anatomy. Patients were then categorized based on sex and BMI and the cardiac measurements were compared. Results: The values obtained were similar to already established normal measurement values from echocardiography. There was good correlation between body mass index (BMI) and the sexes. Conclusion: This study serves to establish normative data for cardiac CTA while also proves to show good correlation with already established normative values for echocardiography and justifies these CTA measurements as an alternative means of cardiac evaluation. Further study regarding the variations between data for specific measurements will be addressed in future studies.

Keywords

Cardiac CT, Computed Tomography, Normative, Data

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Lloyd-Jones, D., et al. (2009) Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2009 Update: Report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Subcommittee. Circulation, 119, e21-e161.
[2]	Henneman, M., et al. (2006) Global and Regional Left Ventricular Function: A Comparison Between Gated SPECT, 2D Echocardiography and Multi-Slice Computed Tomography, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 33, 1452-1460.
[3]	Prat-Gonzalez, S., Sanz, J., Garcia, M. and Cardiac, C.T. (2008) Indications and Limitations. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 36, 18-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.107.042424
[4]	Ryding, A. (2008) Essential Echocardiograpy. Elsevier Limited, Amsterdam.
[5]	Erbel, R., Schweizer, P., Krebs, W., Meyer, J. and Effert, S. (1984) Sensitivity and Specificity of Two Dimensional Echocardiography in Detection of Impaired Left Ventricular Function. European Heart Journal, 5, 477-489.
[6]	Sibley, C. and Lima, J. (2008) Assessment of Ventricular Structure and Function with Multidetector CT and MRI. Current Cardiology Reports, 10, 67-71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11886-008-0013-5
[7]	Flohr, T.G., et al. (2008) Image Reconstruction and Image Quality Evaluation for a Dual Source CT Scanner. Medical Physics, 35, 5882-5897. http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3020756
[8]	Lee, S.H., et al. (2008) Incidental Cardiac and Pericardial Abnormalities on Chest CT. Journal of Thoracic Imaging, 23, 216-226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/RTI.0b013e318166a485
[9]	Burt, J.R., et al. (2008) Incidental Findings on Cardiac Multidetector Row Computed Tomography among Healthy Older Adults. Archives of Internal Medicine, 168, 756-761. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.168.7.756
[10]	Manghat, N., et al. (2008) Imaging the Heart Valves Using ECG-Gated 64-Detector Row Cardiac CT. The British Journal of Radiology, 81, 275-290. http://dx.doi.org/10.1259/bjr/16301537
[11]	Stolzman, P., et al. (2008) Left Ventricular and Left Atrial Dimensions and Volumes, Comparison Between Dual-Source CT and Echocardiography. Investigative Radiology, 43, 284-289. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/RLI.0b013e3181626853
[12]	Mahlon, M. and Yoon, H.C. (2007) CT Angiography of the Superior Vena Cava: Normative Values and Implications for Central Venous Catheter Position. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, 18, 1106-1110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvir.2007.06.002
[13]	Gade, C., et al. (2007) Comprehensive Evaluation of Atrial Septal Defects in Individuals Undergoing Percutaneous Repair by 64-Detector Row Computed Tomography. The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging, 23, 397-404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10554-006-9149-9
[14]	O’Brien, J., et al. (2007) Anatomy of the Heart at Multidetector CT: What the Radiologist Needs to Know. RadioGraphics, 27, 1569-1582. http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/rg.276065747
[15]	Stolzmann, P., et al. (2008) Reference Values for Quantitative Left Ventricular and Left Atrial Measurements in Cardiac Computed Tomography. European Radiology, 18, 1625-1634. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00330-008-0939-4