Diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice multislice computed tomography in the Noninvasive evaluation of significant coronary artery disease

The purpose of the present study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of current 64-slice multislice computed tomography (MSCT) in the detection of significant coronary artery disease, using conventional coronary angiography as the gold standard. In 61 patients scheduled for conventional coronary angiography, 64-slice MSCT was performed and evaluated for the presence of significant (>= 50% luminal narrowing) stenoses. One patient had to be excluded because of a heart rate > 90 beats/min during data acquisition. In the remaining 60 patients (46 men, 14 women: average age 60 +/- 11 years), 854 segments were available for evaluation. Of these segments 842 (99%) were of sufficient image quality. Conventional coronary angiography identified 73 lesions, of which 62 were detected by MSCT. The corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 85%, and 97%, respectively. On a patient-per-patient analysis, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 94%. 97%, 97%, and 93%, respectively. In conclusion, the present study confirms that 64-slice MSCT enables the accurate and noninvasive evaluation of significant coronary artery stenoses. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.