High-pitch, dual-source chest computed tomography angiography without electrocardiographic synchronization: evaluation of cardiac motion artifacts on pulmonary circulation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the frequency and severity of cardiac motion artifacts on high-pitch, dual-source computed tomography angiograms of the chest.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred consecutive patients underwent a non-electrocardiogram-gated, dual-source chest computed tomography examination with high pitch and high temporal resolution.

RESULTS: The mean (±SD) duration of data acquisition was 0.9 (±0.07) seconds and the mean (±SD) heart rate was 78.9 (±15.2) bpm. Cardiac motion artifacts were seen at the level of the pulmonary trunk in 2 patients (2%). Among the 7000 pulmonary arteries analyzed (5 central, 5 lobar, 20 segmental, and 40 subsegmental arteries/patient), pseudofilling defects were depicted at the level of 3 arteries (0.042%), always seen with the concurrent presence of a "double contour" appearance of the vessel walls. Twinkling star artifacts beyond the subsegmental level were seen within 76 segments (76/2000; 3.8% of the examined segments), most commonly in the lingula and left lower lobe. A total of 23 patients (23%) showed at least 1 category of motion artifacts, whereas 77 patients (77%) had motion-free imaging of the pulmonary arteries.

CONCLUSIONS: Routine scanning of patients with high pitch and high temporal resolution provides examinations devoid of detrimental cardiac motion artifacts.