Clinical significance of multislice spiral computed tomography in diagnosis and therapy of tetralogy of Fallot

AIM:To evaluate the role of multislice spiral computed tomography(MSCT) in the diagnosis and therapy of tetralogy of Fallot(TOF).METHODS:A cohort of 138 TOF patients was enrolled in the study.Before surgery,each patient underwent MSCT and transthoracic echocardiography(TTE). Results were compared with postsurgical diagnosis,and diagnostic accuracy of MSCT and TTE were assessed.RESULTS:Both MSCT and TTE made definitive diagnoses of TOF.However,diagnostic accuracy of MSCT and TTE in the merger deformities with TOF was 88% and 74%,respectively.MSCT was superior to TTE in detecting merger deformities of TOF(χ2=4.821,P=0.0281).CONCLUSION:MSCT is a reliable technique for diagnosis of TOF,with higher accuracy especially in TOF patients with merger deformities.MSCT provides an important basis for operative procedure and prognosis for TOF patients with.