64-slice CT shows value for assessment of the right heart

The enhanced spatial resolution and speed afforded by 64-slice CT scanning allows accurate assessment of right ventricular function, according to studies from China and the U.S. released at the 2008 European Congress of Radiology meeting.

Dr. Ying-kun Guo and colleagues at the West China Hospital in Chengdu looked at 48 consecutive patients with mitral valve regurgitation who underwent ECG-gated 64-slice CT. They found CT offered accurate right ventricle function and volume assessments that matched echocardiography and MRI measurements. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston enrolled 40 patients with negative echocardiography exams who underwent contrast-enhanced CT angiography on a 64-slice scanner. They found a statistically significant correlation between ventricular function and con­trast attenuation in the inferior right ventricle.