Cardiac Imaging Modalities With Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing radiation risks of cardiac imaging: estimates of the immeasurable.

For many decades, the search for a non-invasive visualization of the coronary arteries seemed to remain an unfulfilled promise to clinical cardiologists. Owing to the rapid refinements successfully implemented in computed tomography (CT) technology over the past few years, non-invasive imaging of coronary arteries is now not only feasible but also has become a reality in daily routine. This may...

Ionizing radiation for medical imaging

Weighing the risks and benefits of cardiac imaging with ionizing radiation.

The potential risk of fatal malignancy related to cardiac imaging with ionizing radiation is frequently discussed in the medical literature and in the lay press. Clinicians must weigh this risk against the potential benefits of cardiac imaging, which are typically not considered in these reports about radiation risk. This review summarizes the evidence regarding both the radiation risks and cli...

Ionizing Radiation Exposure from Radiologic Imaging

Background The increased use of diagnostic imaging requiring the use of “ionizing radiation,” the rapidly expanding use of computed tomography in the emergency setting, the introduction of multi-detector CT units and newly reported concerns related to the human consequences of low-level radiation exposure have revitalized a long-standing concern over the quantification and management of an indi...

Diagnosing cardiac disease during pregnancy: imaging modalities

Pregnant women with known or suspected cardiovascular disease (CVD) often require cardiovascular imaging during pregnancy. The accepted maximum limit of ionising radiation exposure to the foetus during pregnancy is a cumulative dose of 5 rad. Concerns related to imaging modalities that involve ionising radiation include teratogenesis, mutagenesis and childhood malignancy. Importantly, no single...