Patency of the right coronary artery following implantation of metallic stent demonstrated by multislice computed tomography

A 67 year old man presented to our hospital with chest pressure. A conventional angiogram revealed significant stenosis in the proximal portion of the right coronary artery (RCA) and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was therefore performed with successful stent implantation at the stenotic site. After three months, to evaluate patency of the metallic stent, ECG gated enhanced multislice computed tomography (CT) (Light Speed Ultra 16, General Electric, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA) was performed with a 0.625 mm slice thickness, helical pitch 3.25. Thirty seconds after intravenous injection of 100 ml of iodinated contrast material (350 mg I/ml), CT scanning was performed with retrospective ECG gated reconstruction and volume data were transferred to a workstation (Virtual Place Office, Azemoto, Tokyo, Japan).

Volume rendered images revealed the implanted stent graft in the proximal portion of the RCA (panel A). Axial source (panel B) and multiplanar reconstruction images of the long axis of the proximal portion of the RCA (panel C) clearly showed the patent lumen of the proximal portion of the RCA, surrounded by the implanted stent graft. Conventional coronary angiogram from the left anterior oblique direction revealed the patent lumen of the proximal portion of the RCA (arrowhead, panel D), confirming the findings of the CT images shown in panel C.