Diagnostic value of multislice CT angiography in peripheral vascular disease

Abstract

Purpose: To perform a systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of multislice CT angiography (MSCTA) in peripheral arterial disease when compared to digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Materials and Methods: A search of PubMed, MEDLINE databases for English literature was performed. Studies comparing MSCTA with DSA in peripheral vascular disease were included and diagnostic value of MSCTA in terms of sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy were compared and analysed. Results: 9 (16 comparisons) studies met the criteria and were included for analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity and accuracy and 95% confidence interval were 92% (89%, 96%), 90% (85%, 95%), and 91% (86%, 95%) at all arterial levels; 92% (87%, 97%), 94% (87%, 99%), and 93% (86%, 99%) at aortoiliac arteries, 96% (94%, 99%), 85% (73%, 98%) and 92% (87%, 97%) at femoro-popliteal arteries; and 91% (85%, 97%), 85% (72%, 97%) and 87% (78%, 97%) at infrapopliteal arteries, respectively. There was significant difference in sensitivity between 4 slice CT and 16 slice CT, between aortoiliac arteries and femoro-popliteal arteries, femoro-popliteal arteries and infrapopliteal arteries (p<0.05).Conclusion: Our systematic review demonstrated that MSCTA has a high diagnostic value and could be a reliable alternative to DSA in the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease.