Cardiac Structural and Functional Evaluation Using a Heart Motion Correction Algorithm for Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in Patients With High Heart Rates.

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

The SSF2 algorithm significantly improved the overall diagnostic image quality score compared to standard reconstruction (3.91 vs. 3.84, p<0.01) in patients with high heart rates.

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Observational. Population: High heart rate during coronary computed tomography angiography (n=58). Intervention: Second-generation snapshot freeze (SSF2) algorithm vs. Standard reconstruction (STD) algorithm. Primary outcome: Overall image quality for diagnosis score (scale 1-4) (p=< 0.01).

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

The second-generation snapshot freeze (SSF2) algorithm significantly improves image quality and enables accurate whole-cardiac-cycle structural, functional, and strain assessment in coronary CT angiography for patients with high heart rates compared to standard reconstruction. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Q: What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate image quality, automated chamber segmentation, and cardiac structural and functional measurements using a heart motion correction algorithm across the whole cardiac cycle in patients with rapid heart rates.

Xiaorong Chen; 董燕平; Aiyun Sun; Hao Xu; Xinyang Ge; Ronghua Wu; Shanshan Ying; Xi Zhang; Jing Yuan; Jiangfeng Pan

doi:10.31083/rcm48026

May 1, 2026

Cardiac Structural and Functional Evaluation Using a Heart Motion Correction Algorithm for Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in Patients With High Heart Rates.

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Share

Key result

SSF2 algorithm linked to ~0.1-point higher CCTA diagnostic image quality score at high heart rates.

P<0.01
n=58

Why the study?

The effect of the heart motion correction algorithm on image quality in whole-cardiac-cycle reconstructions remains unclear in patients with high heart rates.

Does the SSF2 heart motion correction algorithm improve image quality and the accuracy of cardiac structural and functional evaluation in whole-cardiac-cycle CCTA for patients with high heart rates compared to standard reconstruction?

Key Points

To evaluate image quality, automated chamber segmentation, and cardiac structural and functional measurements using a heart motion correction algorithm across the whole cardiac cycle in patients with rapid heart rates.
Retrospectively analyzed 58 consecutive patients with high heart rates (≥80 beats/min, mean 89.40 ± 7.25 beats/min), including 36 patients who also completed cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.
Reconstructed coronary CT angiography datasets in 5% increments across 0% to 100% of the cardiac cycle using standard reconstruction (STD) and second-generation snapshot freeze (SSF2) motion correction algorithms.
Compared diagnostic image quality scores, quantitative noise metrics, automated 3D U-Net heart segmentation parameters, chamber volumes, and myocardial strain against reference cardiac magnetic resonance data.
The SSF2 protocol significantly improved overall diagnostic image quality (3.91 ± 0.29 vs. 3.84 ± 0.37, p < 0.01), SNR (9.02 ± 4.54 vs. 7.30 ± 4.00, p < 0.01), and CNR (6.55 ± 3.62 vs. 5.03 ± 3.34, p < 0.01) relative to STD.
SSF2 demonstrated significantly higher myocardial strain values than STD for global circumferential strain (–13.26 ± 3.25 vs. –6.01 ± 1.69, p < 0.01) and global longitudinal strain (–11.89 ± 4.47 vs. –3.92 ± 1.89, p < 0.01).
Agreement between SSF2 and cardiac magnetic resonance was good for myocardial strain measurements (including ICC = 0.90 and 0.85), yielding smaller coefficients of variation than standard reconstruction.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=58)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does the SSF2 heart motion correction algorithm improve image quality and the accuracy of cardiac structural and functional evaluation in whole-cardiac-cycle CCTA for patients with high heart rates compared to standard reconstruction?

P

Population

58 adult patients with high heart rates (≥80 beats/min) in sinus rhythm underwent coronary computed tomography angiography reconstructed with both standard and SSF2 protocols.

I

Intervention

Image reconstruction using the second-generation snapshot freeze (SSF2) protocol, a deep learning-based heart motion correction algorithm, across the full cardiac cycle (0%-100%) at 5% intervals.

C

Comparator

Standard reconstruction (STD) protocol applied to the same CCTA acquisitions, with a subgroup of 36 patients also undergoing cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging as a reference standard.

O

Outcome

Image quality (visual assessment, signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio, edge rise slope, and entropy), automatic heart segmentation performance, cardiac volumes, functional parameters, and myocardial strain.surrogate

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 3.91% vs 3.84%

p-value: p=< 0.01

The SSF2 heart motion correction algorithm significantly enhances CCTA image quality and enables more reliable assessment of cardiac structure, function, and myocardial strain in patients with heart rates ≥ 80 beats/min.

Limitations

Conducted at a single center with a small sample size
Time interval between CMR and CCTA varies considerably
Excluded control cases with heart rate of < 80 beats/min or > 120 beats/min
Modified contrast agent injection protocol may contribute to artifacts from heterogeneous mixing
Selecting the 'worst-artifact' STD image per case inflates the SSF2 benefit for image quality assessment
Manual segmentation and strain analysis were conducted only for the left ventricle
Minimum interval for automatic full cardiac cycle reconstruction was limited to 5%
single center with a small sample size
time interval between CMR and CCTA varies considerably
excluded control cases with heart rate of < 80 beats/min or > 120 beats/min
modified contrast agent injection protocol may contribute to artifacts from the heterogeneous mixing of contrast agent and blood
selecting the 'worst-artifact' STD image per case inflates the SSF2 benefit for image quality assessment
manual segmentation and strain analysis are conducted only for the left ventricle
minimum interval for automatic full cardiac cycle reconstruction in this study is 5%

Implication

May modestly enhance CCTA image quality at high heart rates; leaves open clinical utility pending prospective validation.

Abstract

Background: The heart motion correction algorithm used in current multi-slice computed tomography (CT) is sufficient for coronary artery imaging in patients with high heart rates. However, the effect of this algorithm on the image quality in whole-cardiac-cycle reconstructions remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate image quality, segmentation performance, and cardiac structure and function assessment using a heart motion correction algorithm for coronary CT angiography in patients with rapid heart rates. Methods: This study retrospectively collected data from 58 consecutive patients with high heart rates (≥80 beats/min), of whom 36 also underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. CT images were reconstructed from 0% to 100% in 5% increments using the standard reconstruction (STD) and second-generation snapshot freeze (SSF2) protocols, and then processed by an automatic heart segmentation algorithm. Image quality, segmentation performance, cardiac volumes, and functional parameters were compared between protocols. Results: < 0.01) between SSF2 and CMR were statistically significant, although correlations (ICC = 0.90 and 0.85, respectively) were good. Conclusions: SSF2 significantly improves image quality, structure, and function, and enables strain assessment in whole-cardiac-cycle reconstructions in patients with high heart rates. SSF2 also demonstrates superior performance over the STD protocol for evaluating myocardial strain.

Discussion

No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.

Figures from the paper

Published by the journal · CC BY

Cite This Study

Chen et al. (2026) conducted an observational in High heart rate during coronary computed tomography angiography (n=58). Second-generation snapshot freeze (SSF2) algorithm vs. Standard reconstruction (STD) algorithm was evaluated on Overall image quality for diagnosis score (scale 1-4) (p=< 0.01). The SSF2 algorithm significantly improved the overall diagnostic image quality score compared to standard reconstruction (3.91 vs. 3.84, p<0.01) in patients with high heart rates.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a23b9f271a5da9775e75bc5 https://doi.org/10.31083/rcm48026

Topics

Coronary CT angiography

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Share

Cardiac Structural and Functional Evaluation Using a Heart Motion Correction Algorithm for Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in Patients With High Heart Rates.

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Figures from the paper

Cite This Study

Topics

Cardiac Structural and Functional Evaluation Using a Heart Motion Correction Algorithm for Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in Patients With High Heart Rates.

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Figures from the paper

Cite This Study

Keep reading

Topics

Keep reading