Cardiac Computed Tomography: Technology In Rapid Evolution

INTRODUCTION From resting electrocardiogram (ECG) to stress ECG, stress echocardiography, and nuclear perfusion imaging , noninvasive cardiovascular imaging has significantly improved the clinician's ability to detect coronary artery disease (CAD). Yet, the holy grail of assessing CAD has been the direct visualization of the coronary arteries. Today, invasive cardiac catheterization and intravascular ultrasound remain the gold standards for detecting coronary stenosis and atherosclerotic plaques. These invasive procedures, however, carry significant costs and procedural risks. Therefore, the development of noninvasive imaging techniques capable of evaluating the coronary anatomy would have a huge impact in managing patients with suspected CAD or at risk of developing CAD. Until now, noninvasive imaging of the coronary arteries has been a challenge. The coronary vessels are small and move with the cardiac cycle and with respiration, so any noninvasive technique would need to have tremendously high spatial ...