Clinically Significant Abnormal Findings on the “Nondiagnostic” CT Portion of Low-Amperage-CT Attenuation-Corrected Myocardial Perfusion SPECT/CT Studies

Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Harpreet K. Pannu¹  Richard L. Wahl¹  Sibyll Goetze¹ 

[1] Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

关键词: SPECT/CT;    tomography;    incidental findings;    myocardial perfusion imaging;   

DOI  :  

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Society of Nuclear Medicine

【 摘 要 】

Attenuation correction is recommended to optimize the performance of cardiac SPECT. The 2.5-mA CT commonly used for this purpose in myocardial perfusion SPECT is generally considered “nondiagnostic” in quality. In other areas of cardiac and hybrid imaging, diagnostically relevant abnormal findings on higher-quality CT studies have been described. The purpose of this study was to establish the frequency and significance of abnormal findings on low-amperage-CT cardiac SPECT/CT scans and to assess whether a systematic review of the nondiagnostic CT findings should be recommended. Methods: Two hundred consecutive patients who underwent clinical low-amperage-CT attenuation-corrected myocardial perfusion studies acquired on a SPECT/CT system were included in the study. The cardiac CT images were reviewed in consensus by both an experienced CT reader and a nuclear medicine resident less experienced in CT. Abnormal CT findings of varying significance were recorded. Results: Eighty-one patients had no abnormal CT findings. In the remaining 119 patients, 234 abnormalities were detected. Twenty-five major findings (in 21 patients) were seen, and 16 of these had been previously unrecognized. Sixty-four minor and 131 minimal findings were noted. Fourteen findings were labeled as equivocal (i.e., the CT findings were not definite). Conclusion: Potentially significant abnormal findings on the nondiagnostic-CT portion of the cardiac SPECT/CT examination were detected in 10.5% of our patients. These data suggest that, in addition to the review of the emission image dataset, low-amperage-CT findings should routinely be assessed for major diagnostic abnormalities.

【 授权许可】

Unknown