Cardiac CT: a one-stop-shop procedure?

Abstract

Multidetector row CT of the heart and coronary arteries is now a robust clinical method. It may be used in a number of different clinical scenarios, such as in the presence of an equivocal stress test or ambiguous clinical symptoms. Cardiac CT is also increasingly being developed as a diagnostic option for acute care such as in acute coronary syndrome. Here CT may serve as a tool to triage patients to appropriate therapy or to discharge them immediately after the investigation. The newest dual source CT also allows the assessment of cardiac function, helping to specify the diagnosis. Valve assessment by CT is still under investigation. However multidetector CT is of limited value in myocardial perfusion or for late myocardial enhancement scanning. Appropriate selection of patients for cardiac multidetector CT is mandatory so that the procedure is carried out only in those in whom it can provide clinically valuable information.