Noncontrast fluoroscopy method can image chronic hypertension

A fluoroscopy method incorporating a noncontrast x-ray pulsatility index (XPI) can improve clinical efficiency as a screening or diagnostic test for suspected chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, according to research presented at the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) annual meeting. In a May 7 online presentation, Matthew Smith, MD, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN, described how the fluoroscopic XPI method could be a suitable alternative to pulmonary angiography in evaluating and monitoring pulmonary blood flow. “Additionally, this easy-to-implement method can be performed by an x-ray technologist in an outpatient setting,” Smith said. Time-dependent x-ray attenuation sends signals that aren’t constant, but rather oscillate around the same frequency as the heart rate. Smith said that this could make way for evaluating pulmonary blood flow without iodinated contrast using fluoroscopy. “X-ray signal oscillation comes from vessel compliance during the cardiac cycle,” he explained. “When vessel diameter increases during the systole, more x-rays are attenuated.” Smith and colleagues compared the perfusion map obtained without contrast using spectral analysis with the clinical gold standard of pulmonary angiography. For their prospective study, the researchers enrolled volunteers suspected of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension based on pulmonary scintigraphy and/or CT angiography (CTA). The team performed fluor...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Digital X-Ray Thoracic Imaging Source Type: news