In 69 patients with 131 coronary stents, UHR PCCT with 0.2-mm slices significantly improved in-stent lumen visualization and reduced blooming artifacts compared with standard-resolution 0.6-mm reconstruction.
Among the evaluated reconstruction kernels, Bv72 provided the best overall performance, improving visualization of the stent lumen and struts while maintaining sufficient image quality for assessment.
The improved spatial resolution translated into better diagnostic performance: accuracy for detecting in-stent restenosis increased from 78.3% with standard-resolution PCCT to 88.0% with UHR-Bv72.
Clinical takeaway: UHR PCCT can mitigate blooming from metallic stent struts and may improve the reliability of non-invasive coronary stent assessment, particularly when combined with an optimized sharp reconstruction kernel.
