Improvement of Image Quality with ß-Blocker Premedication on ECG-Gated 16-MDCT Coronary Angiography

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to assess the effect of β-blockers on image quality of ECG-gated 16-MDCT coronary angiography.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Coronary CT angiography was performed in two groups: group 1, 24 volunteers (mean age, 50 years; mean heart rate, 69 beats per minute [bpm]; range, 47–97 bpm); and group 2, 15 patients with current ischemic heart disease (mean age, 54 years; mean heart rate, 54 bpm; range, 48–69 bpm) who were premedicated with 20–40 mg of oral propranolol 1 hr before the study. CT scans were obtained on a 16-MDCT scanner with a 12 × 0.75 mm collimation and 420-msec rotation using nonionic contrast material (80 mL; injection rate, 4 ml/sec). Images were reconstructed at 30–80% of the cardiac cycle in increments of 5%. Image quality of the following eight coronary segments was assessed by two radiologists in consensus: left main coronary artery; proximal and middle segments of the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCX) coronary arteries; and the prox...