Ethical issues related to lung nodules on cardiac CT

Prognostic value of extracardiac incidental findings on attenuation correction cardiac computed tomography

BACKGROUND

Attenuation corrected computed tomography (CTAC) is often performed to improve the specificity of single-photon emission tomography imaging. Extracardiac incidental findings are frequently observed. It is unclear whether these findings have any prognostic value.

METHODS

Consecutive patients (n = 1139) at a tertiary care center were retrospectively evaluated for incidental findings on CTAC. Clinically significant incidental findings were defined as findings warranting physician follow-up. Information regarding subsequent resource utilization was obtained by chart review. Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for demographic and clinical variables was used to evaluate association of these incidental findings with all-cause and cancer-specific mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 135 (12%) patients with incidental findings were identified, 83 of whom (68%) were newly diagnosed. Lung nodules were the most common finding, present in 92 (68%) patients. Over a median follow-up of 468 days, incidental findings were not significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.34; 95% CI 0.77-2.33, P = 0.29) but was significantly associated with cancer-specific mortality (HR 3.21; 95% CI 1.26-8.14, P = 0.01). This association remained statistically significant when the analysis was limited to newly diagnosed incidental findings. Among patients with incidental findings, follow-up radiographic studies were conducted in 87%, and invasive procedures performed in 32%. Physician office-based follow-up of these findings occurred in 42% of patients and incidental finding-related hospitalization occurred in 14%.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that incidental findings are common and were associated with all-cause and cancer-specific mortality but only the later remained statistically significant after multivariable adjustment.

Use of cardiac CT angiography imaging in an epidemiology study - the Methodology of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study cardiovascular disease substudy

OBJECTIVE

The methodology for use of cardiac CT angiography (CTA) in low risk populations is not well defined. In order to present a reference for future studies, we present CTA methodology that is being used in an epidemiology study- the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS).

METHODS

The Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) is an on-going multicenter prospective, observational cohort study. The MACS Cardiovascular Disease substudy plans to enroll 800 men (n= 575 HIV seropositive and n=225 HIV seronegative) age 40-70 years for coronary atherosclerosis imaging using cardiac CTA. The protocol includes heart rate (HR) optimization with beta- blockers; use of proper field of view; scan length limitation; prospective ECG-gating using the lowest beam voltage possible. All scans are evaluated for presence, extent, and composition of coronary atherosclerosis, left atrial volumes, left ventricular volume and mass and non-coronary cardiac pathology.

RESULTS

The first 498 participants had an average radiation dose of 2.5±1.6 milliSieverts (mSv) for the cardiac CTA study. Overall quality of scans was fair to excellent in 98.6% of studies. There were three significant adverse events-two allergic reactions to contrast and one subcutaneous contrast extravasation.

CONCLUSION

Cardiac CTA was safe and afforded a low effective radiation exposure to these asymptomatic research participants and provides valuable cardiovascular endpoints for scientific analysis. The cardiac CTA methodology described here may serve as a reference for use in future epidemiology studies aiming to assess coronary atherosclerosis and cardiac anatomy in low risk populations while minimizing radiation exposure.

Clinical demand for chest/abdomen/pelvis anatomy following thoracic or lumbar spine CT

The purpose of this study is to determine how often CT is repeated to obtain chest/abdomen/pelvis data outside the reconstructed field of view (FOV) on a prior spine CT. Radiology records of 1,239 consecutive thoracic and lumbar spine CT exams of 1,025 patients from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008 were retrospectively reviewed to identify patients who subsequently had CT studies of the chest, abdomen, and/or pelvis. The CT data were also evaluated for contrast enhancement, slice thickness, radiation dose, and reason for subsequent CT exam. Over 3 years, 290 of the 1,239 (24%) spine CT exams were followed by CT of the same anatomic region to evaluate extraspinal anatomy. The use or nonuse of contrast in these follow-up studies was the same as the preceding spine study in 91 cases, which were repeated on the same day (n = 37), within 7 days (n = 19), within 8-30 days (n = 15), or after 30 days (n = 20). Fourteen of 25 (56%) T spine CTs and 34 of 52 (65%) L spine CTs without contrast were followed by a chest CT or abdomen/pelvis CT without contrast within 7 days, respectively. Among 31 pediatric exams, 6 of 31 (19%) spine CTs were followed by a CT of the same anatomic region, all within 7 days. Reconstructing full FOV images of spine CT scans in addition to the standard coned down spine FOV may reduce redundant CT imaging and radiation dose.

The PROgnostic Value of unrequested Information in Diagnostic Imaging (PROVIDI) Study: rationale and design

We describe the rationale for a new study examining the prognostic value of unrequested findings in diagnostic imaging. The deployment of more advanced imaging modalities in routine care means that such findings are being detected with increasing frequency. However, as the prognostic significance of many types of unrequested findings is unknown, the optimal response to such findings remains uncertain and in many cases an overly defensive approach is adopted, to the detriment of patient-care. Additionally, novel and promising image findings that are newly available on many routine scans cannot be used to improve patient care until their prognostic value is properly determined. The PROVIDI study seeks to address these issues using an innovative multi-center case-cohort study design. PROVIDI is to consist of a series of studies investigating specific, selected disease entities and clusters. Computed Tomography images from the participating hospitals are reviewed for unrequested findings. Subsequently, this data is pooled with outcome data from a central population registry. Study populations consist of patients with endpoints relevant to the (group of) disease(s) under study along with a random control sample from the cohort. This innovative design allows PROVIDI to evaluate selected unrequested image findings for their true prognostic value in a series of manageable studies. By incorporating unrequested image findings and outcomes data relevant to patients, truly meaningful conclusions about the prognostic value of unrequested and emerging image findings can be reached and used to improve patient-care.