EXPEDITED REVIEW
Noncardiac Findings in Cardiac Imaging With Multidetector Computed Tomography
Yoshinobu Onuma, MD*,
Kengo Tanabe, MD, PhD*,*,
Gaku Nakazawa, MD*,
Jiro Aoki, MD*,
Hiroyoshi Nakajima, MD, PhD*,
Kenji Ibukuro, MD and
Kazuhiro Hara, MD, FACC*
* Division of Cardiology, Mitsui Memorial Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Division of Radiology, Mitsui Memorial Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Manuscript received October 19, 2005;
revised manuscript received March 6, 2006,
accepted April 4, 2006.
* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Kengo Tanabe, Division of Cardiology, Mitsui Memorial Hospital, 1, Kanda-Izumi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan. (Email: kengo-t{at}zd5.so-net.ne.jp).
OBJECTIVES: We investigated the frequency of the noncardiac findings in cardiac imaging with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).
BACKGROUND: Multidetector computed tomography is an accepted new tool to evaluate the heart. In cardiac MDCT scans, organs other than the heart are also irradiated, but usually not assessed.
METHODS: A total of 503 patients underwent cardiac imaging with 16- or 64-slice MDCT. Cardiologists assessed the heart, while radiologists reviewed the other organs.
RESULTS: A total of 346 new, noncardiac findings were identified in 292 patients (58.1%). A total of 114 patients (22.7%) had clinically significant findings including 4 cases of malignancy (0.8%).
CONCLUSIONS: There were a significant number of noncardiac findings in cardiac MDCT. To avoid missing clinically important findings, physicians who analyze cardiac MDCT scaneither radiologists or cardiologistsshould carefully evaluate all the organs irradiated in the scan.
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Abbreviations and Acronyms
| | CT = computed tomography | | EBCT = electron-beam computed tomography | | FOV = field of view | | MDCT = multidetector computed tomography |
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