Baseline heart rate-adjusted electrocardiographic triggering for coronary artery electron-beam CT angiography

Conventional electrocardiographic (ECG) triggering (group 1, 53 patients) was compared with baseline heart rate-adjusted ECG triggering (group 2, 54 patients) for coronary artery electron-beam computed tomographic (CT) angiography. CT angiographic data sets were compared blindly with conventional angiograms according to segment. Nonassessability of coronary artery segments was reduced from 35% in group 1 to 13% in group 2 (P <.001). More motionfree coronary artery images were obtained in group 2 than in group 1, especially in the right coronary artery (95% vs 67%, P <.001). Overall sensitivity and specificity for luminal stenosis ( greater than or equal to 50%) were 69% and 82% (group 1) and 76% and 92% (group 2) (P >.05 and P <.001, respectively). Baseline heart rate-adjusted ECG triggering improves image quality at coronary artery CT angiography for detection of coronary artery disease. (C) RSNA, 2004.