This study explored whether the cardiac phase (both end-systolic vs. mid- to late-diastolic) influences coronary plaque measurements in coronary CT angiography (CTA). Thirty-nine patients with visually evident coronary atherosclerosis and who underwent high-quality CTA scans were enrolled. Images from both systolic and diastolic phases were analyzed for plaque volume and stenosis using artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled plaque analysis software (Autoplaque). Overall, a total of 186 lesions from the 39 patients were evaluated.
The results showed excellent agreement between systolic and diastolic phases for all plaque measurements, with high correlation and consistency. The study concluded that AI-enabled quantitative plaque measurements from CTA images in the systolic or diastolic phase show no substantial differences. Therefore, standardized plaque assessments can be performed from CTA.
Key points:
- The impact of different cardiac phases on coronary plaque measurements is unknown.
- Plaque analysis using artificial intelligence-enabled software on systolic and diastolic CT angiography images shows excellent agreement.
- Quantitative coronary artery plaque assessment can be performed regardless of cardiac phase.
Authors: Guadalupe Flores Tomasino, Donghee Han, Raymond Pimentel, William Paz, Juni Liang, Victor Y Cheng, Piotr Slomka, Daniel S. Berman & Damini Dey
