Advances in our knowledge of cardiovascular diseases coupled with technological innovations have enabled the increased use of minimally invasive cardiovascular surgical approaches and trans-catheter interventions, with resultant reduced morbidity and hospital stay. [1] During minimally invasive and trans-catheter procedures, unlike surgical procedures, pre-operative findings cannot be confirmed by direct visualization of the structures. Therefore, imaging plays an increasingly important role in the pre-procedural evaluation of patients and for peri-procedural imaging guidance. [2-3] The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a 256-row-CT...

The study sample consisted of the first 64 consecutive patients (74.2 ± 17.2 years; 33 women, 31 men) scheduled for MIHS underwent CT with a 256-slice-CT scanner (Revolution CT, GE Healthcare). Exclusion criteria were contraindications to contrast agents and impaired renal function. Before the CT examination, all patients were informed about the possible use of their data for study purposes. Patients’ information was anonymized prior to the analysis. The study is a retrospective trial without any study-related clinical intervention and conforms to the Helsinki Declaration....

The average volume of contrast media was 55±8 ml. The average attenuation of all vessels was greater than 350 HU. The evaluation of the peripheral access vessels and dimensions of the ascending aorta, aortic root, and aortic annulus (when requested) were performed in all patients. The mean cardiac frequency was 74.18±12.32 bpm, the eventually presence of atrial fibrillation (6 patients) didn’t affect the diagnostic performance. Dose-length product (DLP) was 532.3±200.0 mGy-cm and CT dose index (CTDI) for the axial acquisition was 13.87±6.92 mGy and for...

256-row-CT has the potential to provide images of the coronary arteries, aortic annulus and aorto-iliac anatomy of excellent quality with low contrast volume and low radiation dose also in high and arrhythmic heart rate patients.

1. Schoenhagen P, Numburi U, Halliburton SS, Aulbach P, von Roden M, Desai MY, et al. Three-dimensional imaging in the context of minimally invasive and transcatheter cardiovascular interventions using multi-detector computed tomography: from pre-operative planning to intra-operative guidance. Eur Heart J. novembre 2010;31(22):2727–40. 2. Xie D, Na J, Zhang M, Dong S, Xiao X. CT angiography of the lower extremity and coronary arteries using 256-section CT: a preliminary study. Clin Radiol. novembre 2015;70(11):1281–8. 3. Matsumoto S, Yamada Y, Hashimoto M, Okamura T, Yamada M, Yashima...