Clinical Value of 16-Slice Multidetector Computed Tomography in Symptomatic Patients with Suspected Coronary Artery Disease

Background: Multidetector computed tomography angiography has emerged as a rapidly developing method for the noninvasive detection of coronary artery disease.Purpose: To investigate the diagnostic accuracy and limitations of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in the detection of significantly (>50%) obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) using a scanner equipped with 16×0.625-mm collimation.Material and Methods: MDCT angiography was performed in 153 patients (99 male, 54 female; mean age 55±10 years) with suspected CAD and scheduled for conventional coronary angiography (CCA). Image quality was assessed in terms of artifacts and segment visibility, and the assessable segments were screened for the presence of significant stenoses (>50% lumen diameter reduction). The diagnostic performance of MDCT for the detection of significant stenosis was compared with the results of CCA.Results: In all 153 patients, MDCT was carried out without complications. A total of 1989 coronary artery segments were eval...