Objective Quantitative assessment of coronary plaque by computed tomography angiography(CTA) is usually acquired by automatic analysis software, which causes inaccuracy in measurement due to CTA artifact. And most studies commonly investigate the immediate local lesion of the coronary plaques. We use the manual measurement method and trace the development of plaques along the entire right coronary artery (RCA) in this paper. Methods Twelve patients with acute coronary syndrome who have not been stented in RCA at baseline CTA and followed-up for about 12 months were selected. First we used the image processing software OsiriX and processed the CTA image data. Then we acquired the curved multiplanar reformatted (CMPR)rendering of entire RCA at baseline and followed up. Followed by dividing the RCA into consequent segments with 3mm long, we acquired the cross-sectional reconstruction and drew the plaque morphology of each segment in a reference window width and window level condition. Finally we utilized the IVUS-like analysis method to obtain the paramaters, including the minimum lumen area, plaque burden, plaque volume and coronary reconstruction, and evaluate the atherosclerotic plaque development of entire RCA by the changes from baseline to follow-up. Results Total of the 365 segments of RCA were included in this study. Compared with the baseline, the minimum lumen area of RCA at 12-month follow-up reduced 0.16 mm2, the plaque burden increased slightly by 0.38%, however the plaque volume almost did not change. The positive remodeling of RCA accounted for 39.2%, negative remodeling for 43.3%, and absence of remodeling for 17.5%. Conclusions A quantitative evaluation of the coronary plaque development is available when setting up the reasonable window width and window level.
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