Quantitative Assessment of Coronary Plaques by Coronary CT Angiography: High Inter-Reader and Intra-Reader Agreement is Achieved but Inter-Scanner Variability should not be Ignored

Journal Title: Heart Research – Open Journal - Year 2017, Vol 4, Issue 1

Abstract

This editorial discusses a recent paper published in the December issue of Radiology 2016 on the quantitative assessment of coronary plaques by coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography. Three main findings are discussed in the editorial: First, coronary CT angiography is an accurate imaging modality for analysis of plaque volume as well as monitoring volume change, with excellent inter- and intra-reader agreement with use of the state-of-the-art CT scanners. Second, the reliability of coronary CT angiography is noticed for low scan variability when plaque volume assessment is performed with the same vendor, but with high variability of nearly 30% when assessment is conducted with different vendors at baseline and follow-up scans. Finally, a large sample size is required to assess non-calcified plaques, in particular with use of different vendors.

Authors and Affiliations

Zhonghua Sun

Keywords

Related Articles

The Related Factors and Clinical Predictive Value of Left Atrial Spontaneous Echo Contrast in Patient with Nonvalvular Chronic Atrial Fibrillation

Background: To investigate left atrial or left atrial appendage spontaneous echo by transesophageal echocardiography for clinical risk assessment, providing an important basis for guiding treatment and so on. Methods: Se...

Primary Angioplasty Using a Renal Stent in a Severly Ectactic and Occluded Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery

Revascularization of ectatic coronary arteries in the setting of acute myocardial infarction poses great challenges for the operator. We report a case, where a peripheral renal stent was used successfully to treat the cl...

3D Printed Models of Complex Anatomy in Cardiovascular Disease

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has undergone rapid developments over the last decades. The application of 3D printing has reached beyond the engineering field to medicine, with research showing many applicati...

Forgotten, but Not Gone

A 65 year old woman, an Asian immigrant to USA, with the history of surgical mitral valvuloplasty through left thoracotomy performed 30 years ago in India for severe rheumatic mitral stenosis, history of embolic occlusio...

Breaking Female Hearts: The Gender Gap in Cardiovascular Research

Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of both men and women, causing 17.5 million deaths combined in 2012,1 which is expected to rise to 23.4 million by 2030.2 The leading cause of death in both sexes is ischemi...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP558264
  • DOI 10.17140/HROJ-4-e007
  • Views 114
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Zhonghua Sun (2017). Quantitative Assessment of Coronary Plaques by Coronary CT Angiography: High Inter-Reader and Intra-Reader Agreement is Achieved but Inter-Scanner Variability should not be Ignored. Heart Research – Open Journal, 4(1), 1-5. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-558264