WEDNESDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- A new method of coronary angiography provides largely high-quality three-dimensional images of the coronary arteries, often providing information not obtainable by two-dimensional projection imaging, according to a study published online Jan. 26 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.
Anne M. Neubauer, Ph.D., from Philips Research North America in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., and colleagues compared conventional two-dimensional projection imaging of the coronary arteries with rotational angiography followed by automatic three-dimensional reconstruction of the coronary arteries in 23 patients undergoing coronary angiography.
The researchers found that 66 percent of the three-dimensional images were designated to be of high image quality and provided additional clinical information, allowing better visualization and providing previously unobtainable views. The detection rate for positive lesions ranged from 90 to 100 percent, while the false-positive detection rate was up to 8.1 percent. Quantitative coronary analysis was similar for the two methods in terms of lumen diameters, but three-dimensional angiography provided vessel segment length without the errors of foreshortening.
"Fully automated reconstruction of rotational coronary X-ray angiograms is feasible, produces three-dimensional volumetric images that overcome some of the limitations of standard two-dimensional angiography, and is ready for further implementation and study in the clinical environment," Neubauer and colleagues conclude.
Four authors are employees of Philips Healthcare or Philips Research, and one author is a consultant and speaker for Philips Healthcare.
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