Comparison study of coronary artery electron beam computed tomography and coronary angiography

AMI: To evaluate the application of electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) for the identification of coronary artery stenosis. METHODS: Coronary angio graphy and intravenous contrast material-enhanced electrocardiographically triggered electron-beam CT (EBCT) of the heart were performed in 55 patients. The coronary arteries were assessed by two observers blinded to the result of the angiography. RESULTS: The sensitivity of EBCT in correctly identifying stenosed arteries were: 96% of left main coronary arteries, 89% of left anterior descending arteries, 71% of the left circumflex arteries and 80% of the right coronary arteries. EBCT correctly identified 46 of the 58 cases significantly stenosed arteries (luminal stenosis50%) with a sensitivity of 79% and correctly identified 114 of the 127 cases of nonobstructed arteries, with a specificity of 90% ( P 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: EBCT results are highly correlated with those of coronary angiography. By using intravenous contrast enhancement, that EBCT can clearly depict the coronary artery anatomy and can identify the coronary artery stenosis, especially severe stenosis.