Role of Multidetector CT in Evaluation of Acute Chest Pain: Non-Cardiac Vascular and Pulmonary Causes

Sayed, Rania S; Mansour, Hisham M; Abo Gamra, Sherif H; Nasr, Merhan A; Khaleel, Mohammad H

doi:10.21608/ejhm.2013.15989

Role of Multidetector CT in Evaluation of Acute Chest Pain: Non-Cardiac Vascular and Pulmonary Causes

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Radiodiagnosis Dept., Nasr City Health Insurance Hospital, Ministry of Health

² Radiodiagnosis Dept., Ain Shams University

³ Cardiology Dept., Nasr City Health Insurance Hospital, Ministry of Health

10.21608/ejhm.2013.15989

Abstract

Background: Triage of patients with acute chest pain is one of the most important issues currently facing physicians in the emergency department. Acute chest pain may be a symptom of a number of serious conditions and is generally considered a medical emergency. The causes of acute chest pain range from non-serious to life threatening. A rapid, accurate and cost-effective approach for the evaluation of emergency department patients with chest pain is needed.
Aim of the work: This work aims to emphasize the role of multidetector CT in assessment of non-cardiac vascular and pulmonary causes of acute chest pain.
Method: The studied group included 89 patients (59 men and 30 women) presented by acute chest pain. All patients were subjected to MDCT and/or MDCT angiography using a Toshiba 64 detectors CT scanner.
Results: The high spatial resolution and relatively non-invasive nature make MSCT angiography a strong and serious competitor to established vascular imaging techniques. Having the additional ability to simultaneously acquire information on other organs, which enables the early diagnosis of complications.
Conclusion: Continued technical improvements in acquisition speed and spatial resolution of computed tomography images, and development of more efficient image reconstruction algorithms which reduce patient exposure to radiation and contrast result in increased popularity of MDCT.

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