COMPARISON OF RADIATION EXPOSURE, CONTRAST AGENT CONSUMPTION AND COST EFFECTIVENESS BETWEEN COMPUTER TOMOGRAPHY AND 3D ROTATIONAL ANGIOGRAPHY OF THE LEFT ATRIUM IN SUPPORT OF CATHETER ABLATION OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION
J. Jez, Z. Starek, F. Lehar, J. Wolf, T. Kulik, A. Zbankova, M. Novak
Department of Cardiology, ICRC, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Introduction: Catheter ablation of complex atrial arrhythmias using 3D models of the left atrium derived from CT or 3D rotational angiography (3DRA) is currently a common practice.
Methods: Over the period from 8/2010 to 4/2015, 3DRA and CT of the left atrium were performed in 196 consecutive patients (1:1 ratio). Statistical comparison of radiation exposure, contrast agent consumption and cost effectiveness between computer tomography and 3D rotational angiography of the left atrium were evaluated.
Results: The average effective radiation dose for 3DRA was 2.302 mSv compared to 10.212 mSv for CT; the contrast agent consumption was 22,200 mg of iodine compared to 49,051 mg of iodine in CT. The total cost of these procedures is 136 EUR for 3DRA and 178 EUR for CT.
Conclusions: Radiation exposure, contrast agent consumption and total cost is substantially lower using 3DRA compared to CT.
