Myocardial CT perfusion imaging and atherosclerotic plaque characteristics on coronary CT angiography for the identification of myocardial ischaemia

To investigate the value of myocardial computed tomography (CT) perfusion imaging (CTP) and atherosclerotic plaque characteristics (APCs) identified on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) for the detection of myocardial ischaemia by using single-photon-emission CT (SPECT) as a reference. Thirty-six patients (63.9% males) undergoing combined stress dynamic CTP and CCTA were enrolled and analysed. Myocardial blood flow (MBF) from CTP was quantified and compared between normal and abnormal segments. The ability of CTP and APCs to detect ischaemia was compared to that of SPECT. Nineteen patients with 78 segments had perfusion abnormalities on CTP. A significant difference was seen in MBF values between normal (118.51±27.86 ml/100 ml/min) and hypoperfused (79.60±21.35 ml/100 ml/min) segments (t=15.832, p