Evaluation of coronary artery bypass grafts using multidetector-row CT with Japanese patients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the patency of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) in Japanese patients, who have narrower coronary arteries than Caucasians. Nineteen patients (12 men and 7 women, mean age: 63±12 years) with 33 coronary bypass grafts were examined with three-dimensional volume rendering (3D-VR) and curved multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) of MDCT. All grafts were compared with those obtained with selective graft angiography. For the 19 patients with 33 grafts, the overall sensitivity and specificity, compared with those for selective bypass angiography, were 96.7% and 100%, respectively. The patency of CABG in Japanese patients can be effectively evaluated with 3D-VR and curved MPR of MDCT. (author)