Application of Dual-Source CT TurboFlash Coarse Pitch Scanning in Coronary Artery Imaging

Objective: To compare and analyze the image quality and radiation dose of three scanning modes of dual-source CT coronary artery retrospectively, and to discuss the application value of TurboFlash coarse pitch scanning mode. Methods: The imaging data of 100 patients who underwent CT coronary angiography (CCTA) using Siemens force CT retrospective gated triggering spiral scan (RES-SPIRAL), adaptive prospective gated triggering sequence scan (SEQ) and prospective coarse pitch scan (TurboFlash) retrospectively was collected. The image quality was evaluated by objective and subjective methods. The effective radiation dose of patients was compared and analyzed, and the indications of the three scanning modes were analyzed. The application value of dual-source CT TurboFlash coarse pitch scanning in coronary artery imaging was evaluated. Results: The results showed that the left main coronary artery, the right coronary artery and their tertiary branches could be clearly displayed in the three groups of images: the left anterior descending branch, the left circumflex branch, and their three-level branches. There was no statistical difference in subjective image quality among the three groups of pictures (P > 0.05). There was no statistical difference in objective evaluation indexes, such as CT value, SNR, CNR and Noise among the three groups (P > 0.05). The patient radiation dose results showed that the effective radiation dose ED of RES-SPIRA scan was (9.22 ± 1.33) mSv. The dose of SEQ was (2.88 ± 2.47) mSv, and the dose of TurboFlash was (0.51 ± 0.16) mSv. There was significant difference in comparison of the three groups (P < 0.05). RES-spiral scanning had the highest radiation dose and TurboFlash coarse pitch scanning (TurboFlash) had the lowest radiation dose. Conclusion: TurboFlash coarse pitch scanning is low in dosage, fast in speed and wide in adaptability. It is especially suitable for the elderly, children, coma and other patients who cannot cooperate with breath-holding examination, as well as for the screening and examination of coronary artery diseases in asymptomatic population. Undoubtedly, it is a worthy method of heart coronary artery examination.