Korean J Med.  2009 May;76(5):589-594.

Overlooked or unrecognized pitfalls in noninvasive multi-detector computed tomography coronary angiography

• Lee W
• Kim JH
• Park HE
• Cho Y
• Kim HK
• Kim YJ
• Sohn DW

Abstract

The prevalence of coronary artery disease is gradually increasing. The importance of accurate, early diagnosis and treatment has been emphasized repeatedly, given the possible fatal outcome of coronary artery disease, such as in acute myocardial infarction or heart failure. In order to detect patients at high risk of coronary artery disease, noninvasive multi-detector computed tomographic coronary angiography (CTCAG) has recently been introduced for clinical use. It has become popular thanks to its noninvasiveness and high negative predictive value. Most studies have focused on these advantages, while neglecting a number of flaws in multi-detector CTCAG. We present two cases of multi-detector CTCAG with false positive and false negative results. We would like to emphasize that the interpretation of the findings obtained with multi-detector CTCAG should depend on the clinical findings in the patient, along with other factors, such as the location or length of the lesion.

Keyword

Coronary artery disease; Computed Tomography; Coronary angiography

MeSH Terms

Coronary Angiography
Coronary Artery Disease
Early Diagnosis
Fatal Outcome
Heart Failure
Humans
Myocardial Infarction
Prevalence