Dear AuntMinnie Member,
CT's ability to detect coronary artery calcium established the modality as a viable technology for cardiac imaging when the first studies appeared in the 1990s. The technique was pioneered on electron beam CT, but was also possible on the newer multislice scanners.
Now a study indicates that MDCT may be even better than EBT for detecting coronary artery calcium, according to an article by staff writer Eric Barnes that we're featuring in our CT Digital Community this week.
Japanese researchers pitted 16-slice MDCT against EBT in detecting deposits designed to look like coronary artery calcium in a moving heart phantom. They found that MDCT detected a larger number of small CAC deposits than EBT, and also had less variability in Agatston scoring.
The team acknowledged the need for in vivo studies to demonstrate MDCT's apparent edge over EBT. The increasing use of 64-slice CT scanners will likely lead to further improvements in MDCT's performance as well. Read all about it by clicking here, or visit the CT Digital Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
In other news, there's just one week left to vote in the finals round of the Minnies, AuntMinnie.com's annual event to recognize excellence in radiology. Cast your ballot by visiting minnies.auntminnie.com.
