Skip to main content
Log in

Reproducibility of coronary calcium quantification in repeat examinations with retrospectively ECG-gated multisection spiral CT

  • Cardiac
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

High reproducibility is a key requirement for coronary calcium scoring in follow-up examinations. We investigated the inter-examination reproducibility of calcium scoring with retrospectively ECG-gated multisection spiral CT (MSCT). Fifty patients were examined twice with MSCT. Slices were reconstructed with retrospective ECG gating in the diastolic phase with 3-mm slice width and up to 125-ms temporal resolution. We calculated the Agatston score, calcium volume with and without isotropic interpolation, and calcium mass, and derived the mean and median variability. We investigated the change of variability with use of 3-mm non-overlapping and overlapping increments (2, 1.5, 1 mm). Use of overlapping increment results in considerably reduced interscan variability. We observed a minimum mean variability of 12% and a minimum median variability of 9% for the Agatston score. For volume and mass quantification we obtained a minimum mean variability of 7.5% and a minimum median variability of 5%. Multisection spiral CT enables coronary calcium quantification with high reproducibility in follow-up examinations mainly founded on image data with reduced partial-volume errors due to overlapping increment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Electronic Publication

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ohnesorge, B., Flohr, T., Fischbach, R. et al. Reproducibility of coronary calcium quantification in repeat examinations with retrospectively ECG-gated multisection spiral CT. Eur Radiol 12, 1532–1540 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-002-1394-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-002-1394-2

Navigation