Clinical Research Directory

Spectral and Ultra High Resolution CT Systems for Non-Invasive Detection of Myocardial Ischemia: Stress CT Perfusion VS. FFR-CT

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Coronary Computed Tomography angiography (CCTA) gained a pivotal clinical role for excellent sensitivity in rule-out CAD, but has limited specificity for a tendency to overestimate stenoses and for the lack of information about their hemodynamic impact. Fractional Flow Reserve derived from CT (FFR-CT) and stress CT perfusion (CTP) have been recently proposed to complement CCTA in the non-invasive assessment of myocardial ischemia, increasing the specificity and avoiding unnecessary catheterization. However, on energy-integrating (EID)-CT, FFR-CT has suboptimal performance, while CTP is affected by high radiation exposure. Both these approaches may benefit by the introduction of the new Photon Counting Detector (PCD)-CT technology, but data completely lacks. Aim of the study is to assess the performance of PCD-CT in the identification of significant CAD combining CCTA with FFR-CT and spectral CTP.

CT Perfusion Imaging to Predict Vasospasm in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Patients with brain hemorrhage resulting from a ruptured aneurysm (SAH) are at risk of developing a condition called vasospasm, one or two weeks after their hemorrhage. This is a major cause of stroke and death following SAH. A special type of CT scan, called CT perfusion, analyzes regional blood flow in the brain. We hypothesize that CT perfusion scans performed on admission and day 6 post-hemorrhage will enable us to predict which patients will go on to develop vasospasm.