The contemporary use of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) extends beyond sole assessment of luminal stenosis, encompassing detailed plaque volumetry and morphology. These additional data hold promise for improving the accuracy of CCTA in predicting myocardial ischemia—an established determinant of prognosis in chronic coronary syndrome and a guideline-supported gatekeeper to revascularization.1
We scan the top radiology sources so you don’t have to.
From AI breakthroughs to imaging trends, we serve up real-time radiology insights.
-
Voxel-based correction of CT attenuations for accurate quantification of coronary artery calcification in low tube voltage scans with deep learning reconstruction
A novel voxel-based attenuation correction method, derived from phantom calibration, was developed to address overestimation bias in coronary artery calcium (CAC) quantification using 80 kV scans with deep learning reconstruction. In a prospective clinical study of 190 patients, this approach eliminated significant differences in Agatston score, calcium volume, and mass compared to standard 120 kV imaging (all P > 0.05), while reducing risk category misclassification from 20.53 % to 5.79…
-
Ethnic differences in left ventricular myocardial volume assessed by coronary computed tomography angiography in asymptomatic adults
Left ventricular myocardial volume (LVMV) is an early marker of cardiac injury and hypertrophic remodeling. Prior studies demonstrated LV geometry measured by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and non-contrast cardiac CT correlates strongly with echocardiography and MRI1,2 and can reliably assess LV geometry when indexed to body surface area (BSA) and sex.1 CTA-derived LVMV may enable earlier identification of hypertrophic remodeling in asymptomatic individuals. However, whether cu…
-
Distribution of coronary artery calcium volume and density by age, sex, and race using AI-based quantification algorithm
The Agatston score is commonly used for coronary artery calcium (CAC) quantification which integrates calcium volume and density into a single measure. Recent studies suggest CAC volume and mean density offer independent prognostic value. However, normative distributions of these parameters across demographic subgroups are not well characterized.
-
The Utility Of “Thinking” In CAD-RADS Scoring Of An Open-source Hybrid-reasoning Large Language Model: A Multicentric Study
Introduction: Large language models (LLMs) are developed to answer questions or follow instructions like humans do. New LLMs are introduced frequently. It is essential to benchmark the performance of current LLMs for clinical purposes. Our goal was to benchmark the performance of 31 open- and closed-source LLMs in automatically assigning coronary artery disease reporting and data system (CAD-RADS) categories from coronary CT angiography (CCTA) reports, using a zero-shot prompting approach.
-
Remnant cholesterol as a cardiovascular risk modifier in patients with coronary atherosclerosis detected by coronary CT angiography
Remnant cholesterol (RC) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk (CVR) beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and has been associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). However, its prognostic interaction with coronary atherosclerotic burden as assessed by coronary CT angiography (CCTA) remains poorly defined. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether RC acts as an independent factor or as a modulator of the effect of atherosclerotic burden on the risk of…
-
Deep Learning–Based denoising improves myocardial late enhancement imaging with spectral photon-counting CT
Myocardial late enhancement (LE) imaging with photon-counting detector (PCD)–CT offers a promising alternative to LGE-MRI, with spectral reconstructions such as iodine maps and low-energy VMIs enabling accurate scar visualization.1,2 Because these reconstructions are noise-prone, a new PCD-specific U-net–based denoising algorithm (ClariCT.AI) may enhance image quality (Fig. 1A).3 This study assessed the added value of post-hoc CNN denoising on image quality and diagnostic performance of myocardi…
-
Coronary computed Tomography–Based surveillance for coronary allograft vasculopathy in pediatric heart transplant recipients: The role of CT-derived fractional flow reserve
Coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a major cause of long-term graft loss following pediatric heart transplantation.1 Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) remains the golden standard for diagnosis and surveillance but carries procedural risks and challenges, especially in younger patients requiring repeated studies. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCT) offers a non-invasive alternative with high spatial resolution. The addition of CT-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRct) may prov…
-
Giant coronary button aneurysms two decades after Bentall procedure in Marfan syndrome: a CT perspective
A 62-year-old man with Marfan syndrome underwent a Bentall procedure at age 40 for an ascending aortic aneurysm. He remained stable for over two decades, with surveillance via transthoracic echocardiography without documented abnormalities at the aortic root. A cardiac CT performed ten months prior to the current visit first identified a lesion at the aortic root. He was asymptomatic with normal functional capacity. The patient presented now for a scheduled follow-up of this finding. Repeat tran…
-
Accuracy of on-site CT-μFR analyses for evaluation of intermediate coronary stenoses in patients undergoing TAVI
Recent trials showed potential clinical benefit of fractional flow reserve (FFR) application in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI),1,2 however, the optimal FFR cut-off point still remains unclear in this clinical setting. Advances in computational methods facilitated non-invasive physiological assessment from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), that may be especially beneficial in patients undergoing TAVI, allowing for the …