Interruption of the aortic arch: diagnosis with multidetector computed tomography

Abstract

We investigated retrospectively the usefulness of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in the preoperative diagnosis of interruption of the aortic arch (IAA). Seven neonates with IAA underwent enhanced MDCT before a surgical repair operation between April 2006 and March 2010. The MDCT procedures were performed using either a 16- or 64-MDCT scanner without electrocardiographic gating or respiratory arrest. High-quality CT images were obtained in all cases. One patient was diagnosed to be IAA type A, and 6 were diagnosed to be IAA type B (Celoria and Patton classification). The Celoria and Patton classification of IAA types and subtype classification by MDCT were confirmed by surgery. Our results show that the information from MDCT was sufficient for a preoperative diagnosis of IAA and allowed omission of a cardiac catheter examination before surgery.