Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29196856›Full record

ArticleEuropean radiology2018

Tin-filtered low-dose chest CT to quantify macroscopic calcification burden of the thoracic aorta.

Christoph Schabel, Daniele Marin, Dominik Ketelsen, Alfredo E Farjat, Georg Bier, Mario Lescan, Fabian Bamberg, Konstantin Nikolaou, Malte N Bongers

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European radiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Christoph SchabelDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany. chschabel@gmx.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7608-1762
Daniele MarinDepartment of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3808 Erwin Rd, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
Dominik KetelsenDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
Alfredo E FarjatDepartment of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
Georg BierDepartment of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
Mario LescanDepartment of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
Fabian BambergDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
Konstantin NikolaouDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
Malte N BongersDepartment of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo compare a low-dose, tin-filtered, nonenhanced, high-pitch Sn100 kVp CT protocol (Sn100) with a standard protocol (STP) for the detection of calcifications in the ascending aorta in patients scheduled for cardiac surgery.

methodsInstitutional Review Board approval for this retrospective study was waived and the study was HIPAA-compliant. The study included 192 patients (128 men; age 68.8 ± 9.9 years), of whom 87 received the STP and 105 the Sn100 protocol. Size-specific dose estimates (SSDE) and radiation doses were obtained using dose monitoring software. Two blinded readers evaluated image quality on a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high) and the extent of calcifications of the ascending aorta on a scale from 0 (none) to 10 (high), subdivided into 12 anatomic segments.

resultsThe Sn100 protocol achieved a mean SSDE of only 0.5 ± 0.1 mGy and 0.20 ± 0.04 mSv compared with the mean SSDE of 5.4 ± 2.2 mGy achieved with the STP protocol (p < 0.0001). Calcification burden was associated with age (p < 0.0001), but was independent of protocol with mean calcification scores of 0.48 ± 1.23 (STP) and 0.55 ± 1.25 (Sn100, p = 0.18). Reader agreement was very good (STP κ = 0.87 ± 0.02, Sn100 κ = 0.88 ± 0.01). The STP protocol provided a higher subjective image quality than the Sn100 protocol: STP median 4, interquartile range 4-5, vs. SN100 3, 3-4; p < 0.0001) and a slightly better depiction of calcification (STP 5, 4-5, vs. Sn100 4, 4-5; p < 0.0001).

conclusionsThe optimized Sn100 protocol achieved a mean SSDE of only 0.5 ± 0.1 mGy while the depiction of calcifications remained good, and there was no systematic difference in calcification burden between the two protocols. KEY POINTS: • Tin-filtered, low-dose CT can be used to assess aortic calcifications before cardiac surgery • An optimized Sn100 protocol achieved a mean SSDE of only 0.5 ± 0.1 mGy • The depiction of atherosclerosis of the thoracic aorta was similar with both protocols • The depiction of relevant thoracic pathologies before cardiac surgery was similar with both protocols.

Indexed as

AgedAorta, ThoracicAortic DiseasesFemaleHumansMaleMultidetector Computed TomographyRadiation DosageRadiography, ThoracicRetrospective StudiesTinVascular CalcificationTinAortaArteriosclerosisImagingMultidetector computed tomographyRadiation exposure

Identifiers

PMID29196856

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.