Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of 16-slice spiral CT in assessing the lower extremity arterial occlusive diseases.
Methods: Thirty patients with suspected peripheral arterial occlusive diseases underwent 16-slice spiral CT angiography (CTA) of lower extremity arteries. All these patients also underwent digital subtraction angiography (DSA) two weeks before or after CTA. CT angiograms were produced using maximal intensity projection, volume rendering technique, and curved planar reconstruction. Using DSA as the standard reference, the diagnostic accuracy of CTA was determined.
Results: When detecting segments with > or = 50% stenosis, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of CTA were 94.3% (115/122), 98.4% (548/557), 97.6% (663/679), 92.7% (115/124), and 98.7% (548/555), respectively.
Conclusion: 16-slice spiral CT has high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in detecting lower extremity arterial occlusive diseases and may partially substitute DSA examinations.