Diagnostik von akuten Aortenerkrankungen mit der Mehrzeilendetektor-CT in Spiraltechnik

Acute diseases of the central arteries require an immediate investigation. An efficient, fast and reliable diagnosis is necessary because of the high mortality, if the patient remains untreated. These requirements are perfectly fulfilled by the new CT-techniques. METHODS: Suspected aortic diseases were examined with a new multi-slice helical CT. The thoracic or the abdominal aorta as well as the entire vascular tree from the supra-aortic branches to the inguinal arteries were investigated with different CT protocols. The slice-thickness and the scan mode were changed while the total examination time was kept constant for the first two groups. In the third group a monophasic examination was compared to a biphasic one. RESULTS: In the diagnosis of acute aortic diseases multi-slice helical CT proved to be a fast and reliable method with all scan protocols. The objective measurements of contrast homogeneity and image quality were comparable in the first two groups. The monophasic contrast medium injection protocol was superior to the biphasic administration mode. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-slice helical CT appears to be a very effective approach for the diagnosis of acute aortic diseases and seems to be the new gold standard.