Cardiac CT

Cardiac CT is an exciting, quickly evolving, noninvasive technique that produces outstanding images. It is being used for coronary calcium scoring and the detection, visualization, and characterization of coronary artery stenosis and atherosclerotic changes. Imaging the heart has always been challenging due to the heart's continuous motion and the small size and complexity of the coronary arteries. The current gold standard used to assess obstructive coronary artery disease is conventional invasive coronary angiography. Due to the risk of complications from the procedure, the high cost, the radiation dose, and the time involved for the patient and specialized physicians, non-invasive procedures have been developed. Cardiac multi-detector (MDCT) is a relatively new technique made possible with the introduction of the advanced MDCT scanners that have the ability to rapidly and accurately visualize the coronary arteries. The technologic advances of MDCT are leading to faster scan times and improved resolution that is required for cardiac imaging.

Are you interested in learning more about Cardiac CT. This tutorial is free at the Learning Center! until April 31, 2008. If you are a first-time user of the Learning Center, you will need to click on the "Register" button, which is free and obtain a password.