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Large-Vessel Distensibility Measurement with Electrocardiographically Gated Multidetector CT: Phantom Study and Initial Experience¹

¹ From the Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905 (J.Z., J.G.F., T.J.V., A.M., J.L.T., R.J.W., C.H.M.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa (M.L.R.). From the 2005 RSNA Annual Meeting. Received March 24, 2006; revision requested May 24; revision received January 10, 2007; accepted February 20; final version accepted March 16. Supported by the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute as part of the ECG-gated Multi-detector CT of Aortic Distensibility Project. Address correspondence to J.G.F. (e-mail: fletcher.joel{at}mayo.edu).

The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine vessel distensibility measurements by using electrocardiographically gated multidetector computed tomography (CT) in a phantom compared with measurements by using a digital camera and to examine feasibility in humans. Large-vessel phantoms were constructed, using a pulsatile flow pump, and absolute diameter and percentage diameter changes during pulsation were measured. After institutional review board approval and patient consent were obtained, the abdominal aorta of four patients was scanned with an electrocardiographically gated CT protocol. The mean difference in percentage diameter change between CT and optical measurements for the phantom ranged from –0.47% to 0.14%. The range of area changes in five locations along the abdominal aorta in four patients was 2.97%–37.16%. Findings of this study indicate that electrocardiographically gated CT angiography data reconstructed across cardiac phases permit measurements of large-vessel distensibility in a phantom model and that vessel distensibility measurement in humans may be possible.

© RSNA, 2007