DYNAMIC CARDIOVASCULAR EXPLORATION WITH E LECTRON FLOW TOMODENSITOMETRY

Electron Beam CT (EBCT) is still emerging as a new functional imaging procedure in providing high morphological studies and dynamic quantita tive functional data. Morphological EBCT studies have previously prove n their usefulness in pathologic conditions of the thoracic aorta, in congenital diseases, in cardiac masses or tumors... Functional studies achieved using cine mode and/or flow mode are used to assess both mob ility and perfusion of structures. Such dynamic analysis have confirme d that their applications will have a major impact on the knowledge of cardiac physiology, the understanding of cardiovascular diseases, if not in daily patient care. For instance, in studies on ventricular fun ction, among the imaging modalities in current use, EBCT is probably m ost accurate for the evaluation of systolic regional or global functio n. EBCT is a cross-sectional imaging methods which overcome an importa nt limitation shared by most other imaging modalities, namely the supe rimposition of overlapping cardiac and thoracic structures. Since in t he method high spatial, contrast, and temporal resolution tomography d isplays the myocardial wall itself, an accurate delineating of endocar dial and epicardial contours in contiguous levels can be obtained. Fur ther developments in computer-automated analysis from dynamic EBCT stu dies have to be carried out to gain clinical acceptance and to facilit ate the routine.