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Premaratne M, Garcia GP, Thomas W, Hameed S, Leadbeatter A, Htun N, Dwivedi G, Kaye DM. Opportunities and Challenges of Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography in the Investigation of Chest Pain in the Emergency Department-A Narrative Review. Heart Lung Circ 2023; 32:307-314. [PMID: 36621394 DOI: 10.1016/j.hlc.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Chest pain is one of the most common presentations to emergency departments. However, only 5.1% will be diagnosed with an acute coronary syndrome, representing considerable time and expense in the diagnosis and investigation of the patients eventually found not to be suffering from an acute coronary syndrome. PubMed and Medline databases were searched with variations of the terms "chest pain", "emergency department", "computed tomography coronary angiography". After review, 52 articles were included. Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is a class I endorsement for investigating chest pain in major international societal guidelines. CTCA offers excellent sensitivity and negative predictive value in identifying patients with coronary disease, with prognostic data impacting patient management. If CTCA is to be applied to all comers, it is pertinent to discuss the advantages and potential pitfalls if use in the Australian system is to be increased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuja Premaratne
- Department of Medicine, Cardiology, Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.
| | | | - William Thomas
- Department of Radiology, Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
| | - Shaiq Hameed
- Department of Medicine, Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
| | | | - Nay Htun
- Department of Medicine, Cardiology, Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
| | - Girish Dwivedi
- Department of Cardiology, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - David M Kaye
- Department of Cardiology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
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Duerden L, O’Brien H, Doshi S, Charters P, King L, Hudson BJ, Rodrigues JCL. Impact of an ultra-low dose unenhanced planning scan on CT coronary angiography scan length and effective radiation dose. BJR Open 2023; 4:20210056. [PMID: 36105418 PMCID: PMC9459860 DOI: 10.1259/bjro.20210056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Imaged scan length (z-axis coverage) is a simple parameter that can reduce CT dose without compromising image quality. In CT coronary angiography (CTCA), z-axis coverage may be planned using non-contrast calcium score scan (CaCS) to identify the relevant coronary anatomy. However, standardised Agatston CaCS is acquired at 120 kV which adds a relatively high contribution to total study dose and CaCS is no longer routinely recommended in UK guidelines. We evaluate an ultra-low dose unenhanced planning scan on CTCA scan length and effective radiation dose. Methods An ultra-low dose tin filter (Sn-filter) planning scan (100 kVp, maximum iterative reconstruction) was performed and used to plan the z-axis coverage on 48 consecutive CTCAs (62% men, 62 ± 13 years) compared with 47 CTCA planned using a localiser alone (46% men, 59 ± 12 years) between May and June 2019. Excess scanning beyond the ideal scan length was calculated for both groups. Estimations of radiation dose were also compared between the two groups. Results Addition of an ultra-low dose unenhanced planning scan to CTCA protocol was associated with reduction in overscanning with no impact on image quality. There was no significant difference in total study effective dose with the addition of the planning scan, which had an average dose-length product of 3 mGy.cm. (total study dose: Protocol A 2.1 mSv vs Protocol B 2.2 mSv, p = 0.92). Conclusion An ultra-low dose unenhanced planning scan facilitates optimal scan length for the diagnostic CTCA, reducing overscanning and preventing incomplete cardiac imaging with no significant dose penalty or impact on image quality. Advances in knowledge An ultra-low dose CTCA planning is feasible and effective at optimising scan length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Duerden
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Avon, United Kingdom
| | - Helen O’Brien
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Avon, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Doshi
- Velindre Cancer Centre, Velindre University NHS Trust, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Pia Charters
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Avon, United Kingdom
| | - Laurence King
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Avon, United Kingdom
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Bárdyová Z, Horváthová M, Gomola I, Neuschl V, Šimková J. PRECAUTION IN THE USE OF EFFECTIVE DOSE IN CORONARY CT ANGIOGRAPHY. RADIATION PROTECTION DOSIMETRY 2022; 198:547-553. [PMID: 36005971 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncac097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The effective dose is a quantity used in clinical practice for statistical evaluation of the radiation dose of patients undergoing different types of examinations. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is a specific examination whose calculated effective dose may be subject to several biases. For this reason, it is important to consider factors (different examination techniques, heart rate and patient habitus) that may influence its resulting value. Another critical factor is the methodological procedure for calculating the effective dose and cardiac-specific coefficient used to estimate effective dose from the dose-length product in computed tomography. Because CCTA is increasingly used in cardiology, it is recommended that the chest coefficient be replaced with a new cardiac coefficient when calculating the effective dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Bárdyová
- Trnava University in Trnava, Faculty of Health Care and Social Work, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Univerzitné námestie 1, 918 43 Trnava, Slovak Republic
| | - Martina Horváthová
- Trnava University in Trnava, Faculty of Health Care and Social Work, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Univerzitné námestie 1, 918 43 Trnava, Slovak Republic
| | - Igor Gomola
- Slovak Medical University, Faculty of Public Health, Department of Radiation Hygiene, Limbová 12, 833 03 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Vladimír Neuschl
- MRI s. r. o., Institute of Imaging Diagnostics, Starohájska 2, 917 01 Trnava, Slovak Republic
| | - Jana Šimková
- MRI s. r. o., Institute of Imaging Diagnostics, Starohájska 2, 917 01 Trnava, Slovak Republic
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Effect of Body Mass Index in Coronary CT Angiography Performed on a 256-Slice Multi-Detector CT Scanner. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12020319. [PMID: 35204410 PMCID: PMC8871507 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12020319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We aimed to investigate the effect of a patient’s body mass index (BMI) on radiation dose and image quality in prospectively ECG-triggered coronary CT angiography (CCTA) performed on a 256-slice multi-detector CT scanner. In total, 87 consecutive patients receiving CCTA examinations acquired with tube current modulation (TCM) and iterative reconstruction (IR) were enrolled in this study. The dose report recorded from the CT scanner console was used to derive the effective dose for patients. Subjective image quality scoring and objective noise measurements were conducted to quantify the impact of BMI on the image quality of CCTA. Because of the TCM technique, we expected tube current and radiation dose to increase as BMI increased. However, using TCM did not always guarantee sufficient radiation exposure to achieve consistent image quality for overweight or obese patients since the maximum X-ray tube output in milliamperes and kilovoltage peak was reached. The impact of photon starvation noise on image quality was not significant until BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2; this result could be due to IR’s noise reduction capability. Our results also suggest that using TCM with a noise index of 25 HU can reduce radiation dose without compromising image quality compared to images obtained based on the manufacturer’s default settings.
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Review of multi-modality imaging update and diagnostic work up of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Clin Imaging 2021; 80:334-347. [PMID: 34500146 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2021.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is an acute but reversible non-ischemic heart failure syndrome. It is characterized by a transient form of ventricular dysfunction typically manifesting as basal hyperkinesis with hypokinesia and ballooning of left ventricle mid-cavity and apex. Imaging helps in both diagnosis and follow up. Echocardiogram is the first-line modality to assess the typical contractile dysfunction in suspected patients with catheter angiography showing normal coronary arteries. Cardiac MRI is currently the modality of choice for the non-invasive initial assessment of TC and for follow up imaging. The current review focusses on historical background of TC, its pathophysiology, diagnostic work up and differential diagnosis and provides multimodality imaging work up of TC including role of echocardiogram, invasive catheterization, nuclear imaging, cardiac computed tomography and cardiac MRI including basic and advanced MRI sequences.
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Gu J, Yang TS, Ye JC, Yang DH. CycleGAN denoising of extreme low-dose cardiac CT using wavelet-assisted noise disentanglement. Med Image Anal 2021; 74:102209. [PMID: 34450466 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2021.102209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In electrocardiography (ECG) gated cardiac CT angiography (CCTA), multiple images covering the entire cardiac cycle are taken continuously, so reduction of the accumulated radiation dose could be an important issue for patient safety. Although ECG-gated dose modulation (so-called ECG pulsing) is used to acquire many phases of CT images at a low dose, the reduction of the radiation dose introduces noise into the image reconstruction. To address this, we developed a high performance unsupervised deep learning method using noise disentanglement that can effectively learn the noise patterns even from extreme low dose CT images. For noise disentanglement, we use a wavelet transform to extract the high-frequency signals that contain the most noise. Since matched low-dose and high-dose cardiac CT data are impossible to obtain in practice, our neural network was trained in an unsupervised manner using cycleGAN for the extracted high frequency signals from the low-dose and unpaired high-dose CT images. Once the network is trained, denoised images are obtained by subtracting the estimated noise components from the input images. Image quality evaluation of the denoised images from only 4% dose CT images was performed by experienced radiologists for several anatomical structures. Visual grading analysis was conducted according to the sharpness level, noise level, and structural visibility. Also, the signal-to-noise ratio was calculated. The evaluation results showed that the quality of the images produced by the proposed method is much improved compared to low-dose CT images and to the baseline cycleGAN results. The proposed noise-disentangled cycleGAN with wavelet transform effectively removed noise from extreme low-dose CT images compared to the existing baseline algorithms. It can be an important denoising platform for low-dose CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jawook Gu
- Bio Imaging, Signal Processing and Learning Laboratory, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, 291, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Tae Seong Yang
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jong Chul Ye
- Bio Imaging, Signal Processing and Learning Laboratory, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, 291, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Dong Hyun Yang
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea.
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Krupinski EA. Optimisation in daily practice - it's more than just radiation dose. J Med Radiat Sci 2020; 67:2-4. [PMID: 32153138 PMCID: PMC7063244 DOI: 10.1002/jmrs.381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
On this editorial, the importance of optimisation of diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic tests and treatments, education and service provision are discussed.
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Hamilton-Craig CR, Tandon K, Kwan B, DeBoni K, Burley C, Wesley AJ, O'Rourke R, Neill J, Branch KR. Coronary CT radiation dose reduction strategies at an Australian Tertiary Care Center - improvements in radiation exposure through an evidence-based approach. J Med Radiat Sci 2019; 67:25-33. [PMID: 31693313 PMCID: PMC7063243 DOI: 10.1002/jmrs.358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) is a rapidly increasing technique for coronary imaging; however, it exposes patients to ionising radiation. We examined the impact of dose reduction techniques using ECG‐triggering, kVp/mAs reduction and high‐pitch modes on radiation exposure in a large Australian tertiary CCTA service. Methods Data on acquisition modes and dose exposure were prospectively collected on all CCTA scans from November 2009 to March 2014 at an Australian tertiary care centre. A dose reduction algorithm was developed using published techniques and implemented with education of medical staff, radiographers and referrers. Associations of CCTA acquisition to radiation over time were analysed with multivariate regression. Specificity in positive CCTA was assessed by correlation with invasive coronary angiography. Results 3333 CCTAs were analysed. Mean radiation dose decreased from 8.4 mSv to 5.3, 4.4, 3.7, 2.9 and 2.8 mSv (P < 0.001) per year. Patient characteristics were unchanged. Dose reduction strategies using ECG‐triggering, kVp/mAs reduction accounted for 91% of the decrease. High‐pitch scanning reduced dose by an additional 9%. Lower dose was independently related to lower kVp, heart rate, tube current modulation, BMI, prospective triggering and high‐pitch mode (P < 0.01). CCTA specificity remained unchanged despite dose reduction. Conclusion Implementation of evidence‐based CCTA dose reduction algorithm and staff education programme resulted in a 67% reduction in radiation exposure, while maintaining diagnostic specificity. This approach is widely applicable to clinical practice for the performance of CCTA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian R Hamilton-Craig
- The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Griffith University School of Medicine, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Bianca Kwan
- The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Karen DeBoni
- The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Chris Burley
- The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Allan J Wesley
- The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rachael O'Rourke
- The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Johanne Neill
- The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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