In vitro coronary artery imaging with sixteen-slice helical computed tomography

Purpose: To determine the benefits of submillimeter coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography in vitro. Material and Methods: The coronary arteries of three domestic pigs were filled with contrast agent and depicted with clinically applicable CT angiography protocols with a slice thickness of 0.63 to 2.5 mm. Results: With 2.5 mm slices, only the third-degree coronary artery branches Could be discerned. With 1.25 mm slices, some fourth-degree branches of the right coronary artery could be discerned upon maximum intensity projections. With 0.63 mm slices, fourth-degree coronary artery branches could be discerned in all locations. Conclusion: The introduction of 16-row detector CT with submillimeter z-axis resolution translates into an order-of-magnitude benefit for the depiction of coronary artery branches.