Computed Tomography Angiography

Computed tomography angiography (CTA) provides additive information to conventional CT in neuroradiology. It visualizes vascular structures after intravascular injection of a radiopaque contrast material. With the introduction of multi-detector-row spiral CT, CTA has become the standard technique for fast and accurate vascular imaging. Image acquisition, contrast timing and image reconstructions play an important role regarding image quality, diagnostic capability and radiation dose. Clinical applications range from ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke, vasculopathies, venous thrombosis to dissection. In this chapter, the acquisition and technical details of CTA will be discussed, followed by the different applications of CTA in neuro-imaging.