Johannes Greupner, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Elke Zimmermann MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Bernd K. Hamm MD, Abstract Co-Author: Research Consultant, Bayer AG Research Consultant, Toshiba Corporation Stockholder, Siemens AG Stockholder, General Electric Company Stockholder, Biomed Research grant, Toshiba Corporation Research grant, Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV Research grant, Siemens AG Research grant, General Electric Company Research grant, Elbit Medical Imaging Ltd Research grant, Bayer AG Research grant, Guerbet AG Research grant, Bracco Group Research grant, B. Braun Research grant, Knauth Research grant, Boston Group Equipment support, Elbit Medical Imaging Ltd Investigator, Copenhagen Malmo Contrast AB, Lund, Sweden

Marc Dewey MD, Abstract Co-Author: Research grant, General Electric Company Research grant, Bracco ALTANA Pharma GmbH Research grant, Guerbet SA Research grant, Toshiba Corporation Speakers Bureau, Toshiba Corporation Speakers Bureau, Bayer AG Speakers Bureau, Guerbet SA Consultant, Guerbet SA Author, Springer Science+Business Media Deutschland GmbH

Global cardiac function assessment using 64-row computed tomography is time-consuming. Therefore, we sought to compare an automatic software tool with an established semi-automatic method.

A total of 36 patients with normal and reduced cardiac function underwent CT with 64 × 0.5 mm detector collimation and global left ventricular function was subsequently assessed by two independent readers using both an automatic region-growing based software tool (with and without manual adjustment) and an established semi-automatic software tool. We also analyzed automatic motion-mapping to identify end-systole.

The time needed for assessment using the semi-automatic approach (12:12±6:19 min) was reduced by 75%-85% with the automatic software tool (01:34±0:29 min [unadjusted] and 02:53±1:10 min [adjusted], both p<0.001, t-test). There was also a good correlation (R=0.90; p<0.001) for the ejection fraction (EF) between the adjusted automatic (59.1% ± 13.6%) and the semi-automatic approach (58.0±15.3%). Also the manually adjusted automatic approach led to significantly smaller limits of agreement than the unadjusted automatic approach for end-diastolic volume (±36.4 ml vs. ±58.5 ml, p=0.006, F-test). Comparing interobserver variability, the semi-automatic approach but not the manually adjusted automatic approach led to a significant difference between the readers for EDV (149.7±57.2 ml vs. 142.8±54.6; p=0.02, t-test) and ESV (69.1±56.7 ml vs. 65.7±52.6 ml; p= 0.048, t-test). Furthermore, the manually adjusted automatic approach also offered significantly smaller limits of agreement than the semi-automatic in regards to ejection fraction (±7.4% vs. ±11.2%; p=0.02, F-test). Using motion mapping to automatically identify end-systole reduced analysis time by 95% (0:38±0:12 min) compared to the semi-automatic approach but showed inferior precision for EF and ESV.

In conclusion, automatic function assessment using 64-row CT with manual adjustment shows good agreement with an established semiautomatic approach while reducing the analysis time by 75% to less than 3 min.

Automatic CT function assessment with a manual adjustment approach offers a fast, comfortable and reliable evaluation of global left function.

Greupner, J, Zimmermann, E, Hamm, B, Dewey, M, Automatic versus Semi-automatic Global Cardiac Function Assessment Using 64-Row Computed Tomography in Patients with Normal and Reduced Cardiac Function.  Radiological Society of North America 2010 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 28 - December 3, 2010 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2010/9008287.html