Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) has evolved from a research tool to an important diagnostic investigation in cardiology, and is now recommended in European, US, and UK guidelines. This review is designed to give the reader an overview of the current state of cardiac CT. The role of cardiac CT is multifaceted, and includes risk stratification, disease detection, coronary plaque quantificati...

Purpose The aims of this study were to evaluate dynamic changes in heart size during the respiratory cycle using four-dimensional computed tomography (CT) and to understand the relationship of these changes to airflow limitation in smokers. Materials and methods A total of 31 smokers, including 13 with COPD, underwent four-dimensional dynamic-ventilation CT during regular breathing. CT data w...

The influence of newer-generation CT on the clinical indications and appropriateness of cardiac CT has not been adequately surveyed. We aimed to evaluate the distribution of appropriateness ratings and test the outcomes of cardiac CT using second-generation 320-row CT. The 2010 appropriate use criteria (AUC) were applied at the point of service to a consecutive series of patients (N = 309) who ...

Three infants with congestive cardiac failure demonstrated dilated and hyperdense intracranial veins and sinuses on noncontrast cranial CT. Intracranial venous thrombosis and arteriovenous malformation were excluded in two infants by autopsy and in one infant by MR imaging. We believe the CT findings were secondary to an elevated central venous pressure caused by the cardiac failure. This CT pa...

Sixteen-slice multidetector CT findings of a pulsatile pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa, in a woman following aortic valve replacement, are presented. Multidetector CT depicted the pseudoaneurysm and enabled dynamic evaluation of its lumen through the cardiac cycle, documenting expansion during systole and almost complete collapse during diastole. This case illustrates ...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate use of cardiac C-arm computed tomography (CT) in the assessment of the dimensions and temporal characteristics of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) lesions. This imaging modality uses a standard C-arm fluoroscopy system rotating around the patient, providing CT-like images during the RFA procedure. BACKGROUND Both cardiac magnetic resonance (CM...

We investigate the effect of heart rate on the quality and artifact generation in coronary artery images obtained using multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) with the purpose of finding the optimal time resolution for data acquisition. To perform the study, we used the 4D NCAT phantom, a computer model of the normal human anatomy and cardiac and respiratory motions developed in our laboratory....

STUDY OBJECTIVE We compared the accuracy of multidetector computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography with stress nuclear imaging for the detection of an acute coronary syndrome or 30-day major adverse cardiac events in low-risk chest pain patients. METHODS This was a prospective study of the diagnostic accuracy of myocardial perfusion imaging and multidetector CT in low-risk chest pain pat...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to familiarize the radiologist with radiation dose in cardiac CT imaging and explain the current methods for dose reduction. CONCLUSION Advances in CT technology have resulted in a significant increase in cardiac CT applications. It is imperative that the radiologist understand the resulting dose implication to the patient and actively engage in optima...