Comparison of iodinated contrast media for the assessment of atherosclerotic plaque attenuation values by CT coronary angiography: observations in an ex vivo model (original) (raw)

2012, British Journal of Radiology

Objective: To compare the influence of different iodinated contrast media with several dilutions on plaque attenuation in an ex vivo coronary model studied by multislice CT coronary angiography. Methods: In six ex vivo left anterior descending coronary arteries immersed in oil, CT (slices/collimation 6460.625 mm, temporal resolution 210 ms, pitch 0.2) was performed after intracoronary injection of a saline solution, and solutions of a dimeric isosmolar contrast medium (Iodixanol 320 mgI ml 21 ) and a monomeric high-iodinated contrast medium (Iomeprol 400 mgI ml 21 ) with dilutions of 1/80 (low concentration), 1/50 (medium concentration), 1/40 (high concentration) and 1/20 (very high concentration). Two radiologists drew regions of interest in the lumen and in calcified and noncalcified plaques for each solution. 29 cross-sections with non-calcified plaques and 32 cross-sections with calcified plaques were evaluated. Results: Both contrast media showed different attenuation values within lumen and plaque (p,0.0001). The correlation between lumen and non-calcified plaque values was good (Iodixanol r50.793, Iomeprol r50.647). Clustered medium-and high-concentration solutions showed similar plaque attenuation values, signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) (noncalcified plaque: medium solution SNR 31.3¡15 vs 31.4¡20, high solution SNR 39.4¡17 vs 37.4¡22; calcified plaque: medium solution SNR 305.2¡133 vs 298.8¡132, high solution SNR 323.9¡138 vs 293¡123) and derived contrast-to-noise ratios (p.0.05). Conclusion: Differently iodinated contrast media have a similar influence on plaque attenuation profiles. Advances in knowledge: Since iodine load affects coronary plaque attenuation linearly, different contrast media may be equally employed for coronary atherosclerotic plaque imaging. , et al. Comparison of iodinated contrast media for the assessment of atherosclerotic plaque attenuation values by CT coronary angiography: observations in an ex vivo model. Br J Radiol 2013;86:20120238. Br J Radiol, 86, 20120238 1 of 7 Influence of iodinated CM on atherosclerotic plaque imaging by CTCA Br J Radiol, 86, 20120238