Visualization of coronary arteries in patients after childhood Kawasaki syndrome: value of multidetector CT and MR imaging in comparison to conventional coronary catheterization

Background After childhood Kawasaki syndrome (KS) the coronary arteries undergo a lifelong dynamic pathological change, and follow-up coronary artery imaging is essential. At present, conventional coronary catheterization (CCC) and angiography is still regarded as the gold standard. Less-invasive methods such as multidetector CT angiography (MDCT-A) and MRI have been used sporadically. Objective To compare the diagnostic quality of MDCT-A and MRI with that of CCC for coronary imaging in a group of patients with coronary artery pathology after childhood KS. Materials and methods A total of 16 patients (aged 5-27 years) underwent CCC and 16-row MDCT-A and 14 patients MRI (1.5 T). Results There was 100% agreement between MDCT-A and CCC in the detection of coronary aneurysms and stenoses. MDCT-A was superior for the visualization of calcified lesions. MRI and CCC showed 93% agreement for the detection of aneurysms. Visualization of coronary artery stenoses was difficult using MRI-one stenosis was missed. Conclusion MDCT-A has excellent correlation with CCC regarding all changes affecting the coronary arteries in the follow-up of childhood KS. In comparison to MDCT-A and CCC, MRI is less precise in the detection of stenotic lesions. Due to its high image quality and ease of performance MDCT-A should be the primary diagnostic modality in patients following childhood KS.