Clinical Value of CT Angiography in Diagnosis of Vertebral Artery Atherosclerosis

Objective To assess the clinical value of CT angiography( CTA) in the diagnosis of vertebral artery atherosclerosis. Methods Sixteen-section spiral CTA was performed on 87 patients with posterior circulation ischemia of cerebrum. Among them,51 patients underwent digital subtraction angiography( DSA) examinations and 53 also underwent color Doppler ultrasound( CFDS) one week before and after CTA was performed. The three-dimensional reconstruction technology was applied to obtaining the axial images by CTA. The degrees of vascular stenosis and vertebral atherosclerosis plaque were detected,which were compared with those detected by DSA and CFDS. Results The consistent rate of CTA and DSA in detecting stenosis of extracranial vertebral artery was 92. 2%( Kappa = 0. 89,P 0. 01). The sensitivity,specificity,positive and negative predictive value were 87. 50%,95. 24%,87. 50% and 95. 24% for mild stenosis diagnosed by CTA; 95. 65%,96. 67%,91. 67% and 98. 31% for moderate stenosis diagnosed by CTA; 100%,98. 81%,93. 75% and 100% for severe stenosis diagnosed by CTA; And 100%,100%,100% and 100% for occlusion diagnosed by CTA,respectively. The detection rate of CTA in diagnosing stenosis of extracranial vertebral artery was significantly higher than that of CFDS( P 0. 05). Conclusion CTA has a higher accuracy in the diagnosis of vertebral stenosis,and can be used to evaluate atherosclerotic plaque,which deserves the routine method for a screening for vertebral atherosclerotic disease.