A study published in the latest edition of Circulation gives high marks to Imatron's electron beam CT scanner, allowing clinicians to measure coronary artery calcification four years after heart transplantation. And Japanese researchers are reporting success with the device in virtual endoscopy of the coronary arteries, as reported in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
The research group from the German Heart Institute in Berlin concluded that the EBT scan was able to predict artery narrowing, measuring more than 50%, in the new hearts of 112 patients with a sensitivity of 94%, said lead author Dr. Friedrich Knollman. The scan also was able to rule out narrowing in 99% of the patients, he added.
The team also compared Imatron's product to intracoronary ultrasound, the gold standard for assessing allograft vasculopathy, and found that the EBT scan offers a less invasive and expensive alternative.
Imatron is based in South San Francisco, CA. Circulation is published by the American Heart Association, and the American Journal of Roentgenology is published by the American Roentgen Ray Society.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersMay 5, 2000
Copyright © 2000 AuntMinnie.com
![Images show the pectoralis muscles of a healthy male individual who never smoked (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; body mass index [BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 28.4; number of cigarette pack-years, 0; forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], 97.6% predicted; FEV1: forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio, 0.71; pectoralis muscle area [PMA], 59.4 cm2; pectoralis muscle volume [PMV], 764 cm3) and a male individual with a smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; BMI, 27.5; number of cigarette pack-years, 43.2, FEV1, 48% predicted; FEV1:FVC, 0.56; PMA, 35 cm2; PMV, 480.8 cm3) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (i.e., CanCOLD) study. The CT image is shown in the axial plane. The PMV is automatically extracted using the developed deep learning model and overlayed onto the lungs for visual clarity.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/genkin.25LqljVF0y.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
