Non-invasive assessment of coronary artery bypass grafts
Author Information
Author(s): Emma S Houslay, Tristan Lawton, Anshuman Sengupta, Neal G Uren, Graham McKillop, David E Newby
Primary Institution: Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh
Hypothesis
Can computed tomography reliably predict graft patency in patients who have previously undergone CABG?
Conclusion
Computed tomography is an accurate, rapid and non-invasive method of assessing coronary artery bypass graft patency.
Supporting Evidence
- The specificity of CT for detecting graft patency was 100%.
- The sensitivity for detection of graft patency was 92.8%.
- The accuracy of MDCT for detecting graft patency was 94.8%.
- Pooled analysis confirmed a 97% accuracy for the detection of graft patency by multidetector computed tomography.
Takeaway
Doctors can use a special type of X-ray called CT to check if heart bypass grafts are working without needing to do surgery.
Methodology
Fifty patients underwent contrast enhanced computed tomography angiography to assess graft patency, with results compared to invasive coronary angiography.
Limitations
Image quality is affected by heart rate and not all patients were on beta-blockers, which could lead to suboptimal images.
Participant Demographics
Patients were predominantly male with a mean age of 66 years.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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