Coronary Artery Imaging with Contrast-Enhanced MDCT: Extracardiac Findings
Sabine Haller1,
Christoph Kaiser2,
Peter Buser2,
Georg Bongartz1 and
Jens Bremerich1
1 Department of Radiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, Basel
CH-4054, Switzerland. 2 Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Fig. 1Graphic shows incidence of extracardiac findings on coronary
artery MDCT. No findings were detected in 125 patients (75.3%); minor, in 33
(19.9%); and major extracardiac findings that required immediate workup,
treatment, or both in eight (4.8%).
Fig. 2ASelected coronary artery MDCT images from patients with
extracardiac findings not requiring immediate workup or treatment and thus
classified as minor. 55-year-old woman with anatomic variation of right
subclavian artery (arteria lusoria, arrow), which courses behind
esophagus.
Fig. 2BSelected coronary artery MDCT images from patients with
extracardiac findings not requiring immediate workup or treatment and thus
classified as minor. 67-year-old woman with aneurysm of ascending aorta
(asterisk); maximum diameter is 4.6 cm.
Fig. 2CSelected coronary artery MDCT images from patients with
extracardiac findings not requiring immediate workup or treatment and thus
classified as minor. 64-year-old man with pulmonary fibrosis (arrows)
and emphysema (arrowhead).
Fig. 3A43-year-old man with recurrent dyspnea and chest pain
referred for evaluation of coronary arteries on coronary artery MDCT. Image
shows no relevant coronary artery disease in right coronary artery (open
arrow), but filling defects (solid arrow) are seen in left lower
lobe pulmonary artery.
Fig. 3B43-year-old man with recurrent dyspnea and chest pain
referred for evaluation of coronary arteries on coronary artery MDCT. Image
shows normal left anterior descending artery (double arrows) and
pulmonary emboli (single arrow).
Fig. 3C43-year-old man with recurrent dyspnea and chest pain
referred for evaluation of coronary arteries on coronary artery MDCT. Image
shows triangular-shaped peripheral consolidation in left lower lobe
(arrowhead), which indicated pulmonary infarction. Pulmonary emboli
were classified as major extracardiac findings.
Fig. 4ACoronary artery MDCT revealed bronchial carcinoma in two
patients. Image of 61-year-old man shows spiculated mass in anterior upper
lobe segment (arrows).
Fig. 4BCoronary artery MDCT revealed bronchial carcinoma in two
patients. Image of same patient as in A also shows mass
(arrow). Transbronchial biopsy of hilar lymph node metastasis
revealed adenocarcinoma.
Fig. 4CCoronary artery MDCT revealed bronchial carcinoma in two
patients. 77-year-old man with spiculated mass in left anterior upper lobe
segment (arrowhead) with diameter of 2.7 cm. Histology confirmed
diagnosis of adenocarcinoma.
Fig. 5Bar graph shows volumes of entire chest from apex to base of
lungs (chest MDCT) compared with volumes displayed on coronary artery MDCT
reconstructed with maximum field of view (coronary artery
MDCTFOVmax) and typical coronary artery MDCT with field-of-view
setting focused on heart (coronary artery MDCT). Volume displayed on coronary
artery MDCTFOVmax is significantly larger than that on coronary
artery MDCT (p < 0.001). Thus, analysis of extracardiac findings
based on images reconstructed with maximum field of view is desirable.