Comparison of Dual Source Computed Tomography Versus Intravascular Ultrasound for Evaluation of Coronary Arteries at Least One Year After Cardiac Transplantation

Schepis, Tiziano; Achenbach, Stephan; Weyand, Michael; Raum, Philip; Marwan, Mohamed; Pflederer, Tobias; Daniel, Werner G.; Tandler, Rene; Kondruweit, Markus; Ropers, Dieter

doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2009.06.060

« Previous Next »American Journal of Cardiology
Volume 104, Issue 10 , Pages 1351-1356, 15 November 2009

Comparison of Dual Source Computed Tomography Versus Intravascular Ultrasound for Evaluation of Coronary Arteries at Least One Year After Cardiac Transplantation

Tiziano Schepis, MD
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology), University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Corresponding author: Tel: 49-9131-853-5000; fax: 49-9131-853-5303
Stephan Achenbach, MD
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology), University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Michael Weyand, MD
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Philip Raum, MD
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Mohamed Marwan, MD
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology), University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Tobias Pflederer, MD
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology), University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Werner G. Daniel, MD
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology), University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Rene Tandler, MD
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Markus Kondruweit, MD
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Dieter Ropers, MD
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology), University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany

Received 9 April 2009; received in revised form 19 June 2009; accepted 19 June 2009.

This study evaluated the ability of dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) to detect coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in heart transplant recipients using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) as the standard of reference. Thirty patients with heart transplants (81% men, mean age 40 years) underwent DSCT (330-ms gantry rotation, 2 × 64 × 0.6-mm collimation, 60- to 80-ml contrast agent, no additional β blockers) before invasive coronary angiography including IVUS of 1 vessel. Detection of CAV by DSCT was qualitatively defined as the presence of any coronary plaque. Mean heart rate during dual-source computed tomographic scanning was 80 ± 14 beats/min. Four hundred fifty-nine segments with a vessel caliber ≥1.5 mm according to quantitative coronary angiography were evaluated in 30 patients. Of these, 96% were considered to have excellent or good image quality. IVUS detected CAV in 17 of 30 patients (57%) and in 41 of 110 coronary segments (37%). Compared to IVUS, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for the detection of CAV by DSCT were 85%, 84%, 76%, and 91%, respectively. In conclusion, DSCT permits the investigation of transplant recipients concerning the presence of CAV with good image quality and high diagnostic accuracy.