A COMPARISON OF THE ACCURACY AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF DIGITAL 3-DIMENSIONAL CORONARY-ARTERY RECONSTRUCTIONS USING EDGE-DETECTION OR VIDEODENSITOMETRY

Global quantitative three-dimensional measurements of coronary arterie s may be helpful in determining the functional significance of various forms of coronary pathology. A computerized system has been developed that is capable of performing 3-D reconstruction of digitized images obtained from multiple coronary angiographic views using either automa ted edge detection (AED) or videodensitometric (VD) techniques. To com pare the accuracy and reproducibility of measurements obtained from th is system using either technique, stationary and moving coronary alumi num 3-D phantoms, each with 13 branches (diameter 0.58-6.35 mm, length 21.5-64.5 mm), were imaged and reconstructed 10 separate times each. Individual branch lengths and diameters were calculated and compared t o each other and to known values. Diameter measurements were compared using either AED or VD. Intraclass correlation coefficients between ob served values (ICC) for Vessel length were r = 0.89 for the stationary and r = 0.97 for the moving phantom. ICCs for vessel diameter were r = 0.93 (AED) and r = 0.95 (VD) for the stationary and r = 0.98 (AED) a nd r = 0.97 (VD) for the moving phantom. Mean differences (+/- SD) bet ween true: and observed values [MDTO(+/- SD)] for vessel length were - 1.0 +/- 3.9 mm for the stationary and -3.5 +/- 3.2 mm for the moving p hantom. MDTO(+/- SD) for vessel diameter were -0.10 +/- 0.52 mm (AED) and +0.03 +/- 0.30 mm (VD) for the stationary and -0.21 +/- 0.44 mm (A ED) and -0.12 +/- 0.33 (VD) for the moving phantom. We conclude that t he quantitative accuracy and reproducibility of measurements obtained by computerized 3-D reconstruction of coronary model phantoms is of hi gh enough quality to warrant further clinical evaluation. VD appears t o be more accurate than AED for measuring vessel diameter. (C) 1997 Ac ademic Press.