Key result
Contrast medium administration significantly increased carotid artery plaque attenuation from 41.59 HU at baseline to 54.16 HU (p=0.001), introducing significant intra-plaque heterogeneity.
Why the study?
Does contrast medium administration affect intra-plaque attenuation variability in patients undergoing CT of carotid arteries?
Observational (n=68)
No
Does contrast medium administration affect intra-plaque attenuation variability in patients undergoing CT of carotid arteries?
Contrast administration introduces significant heterogeneity in carotid plaque attenuation measurements on CT, suggesting that post-contrast scans may be less reliable for classifying plaque tissue type.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Post-contrast carotid plaque CT attenuation variability warrants measurement caution; leaves open need for standardized protocols in research.
In the CT assessment of the carotid plaque, the analysis of the attenuation value is a fundamental parameter in order to classify the type of the tissue that composes the plaque. The purpose of this paper is to assess the intra-plaque attenuation variability in order to verify the potential reproducibility of HU measurements. In this retrospective study, 68 consecutive patients (males 42; average age 64 ± 11 years) that underwent CT of carotid arteries were included. Exams were performed before and after administration of contrast medium and in each slice 4 different circular or elliptical ROIs (≥1 and ≤ 2 mm 2 ) were traced and attenuation values were recorded. Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney test were used to test the differences between the ROI. A total of 192 slices were analysed. The average value of attenuation before contrast medium was 41.591(SD 8.1) HU and 54.159 (SD 15.7) in post-contrast scan. Mann-Whitney test did not find statistically significant difference among the ROI in the pre-contrast scan whereas a statistically significant differences was found in post-contrast scan. Wilcoxon analysis showed a statistically significant difference ( p value = 0.001) between pre and post-contrast attenuation. In conclusion, results of our study suggest that ROI sampling performed in the CT dataset acquired after administration of contrast medium show significant degree of heterogeneity and a statistically significant differences compared to the baseline measurement. This effect may be driven by a different amount of contrast acquisition in some areas of the carotid artery plaque.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Saba et al. (2016) conducted an observational in Carotid artery plaque (n=68). Contrast medium administration vs. Pre-contrast CT scan (baseline) was evaluated on Overall attenuation of the ROI of the plaques (p=0.001). Contrast medium administration significantly increased carotid artery plaque attenuation from 41.59 HU at baseline to 54.16 HU (p=0.001), introducing significant intra-plaque heterogeneity.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: