Computed Tomography

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has become a primary cardiovascular imaging modality in the past 20 years, and was recommended as a 1A recommendation in the 2021 chest pain assessment guidelines. CT calcium scoring has became a primary risk assessment for coronary artery disease and whether patients should be on statins. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is used to for anatomical assessment of the arteries for plaque burden and to identify areas of blockage that may cause ischemia and heart attacks. Additional use of contrast CT perfusion or fractional flow reserve CT (FFR-CT) can offer physiological information on the function of the heart. CT plays a primary role in structural heart assessments for heart valves, repair of congenital defects and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) for both pre-procedure planning and procedural guidance. Find more news on general radiology CT use.

AI helps cardiologists track new drug's effect on inflammation
The combination of AI and CT helped Nehal Mehta, MD, and colleagues track the performance of a new drug designed to target coronary inflammation.
AI improves CT assessments, boosts care for real-world heart patients
Automated AI-generated measurements combined with annotated CT images can improve treatment planning and help referring physicians and patients better understand their disease, explained Sarah Jane Rinehart, MD, director of cardiac imaging with Charleston Area Medical Center.
AI predicts cardiovascular risk during CT scans—no invasive tests or contrast required
Two advanced algorithms—one for CAC scores and another for segmenting cardiac chamber volumes—outperformed radiologists when assessing low-dose chest CT scans.
CT procedure shown to reduce need for invasive cardiac testing
In a study, CT-FFR was shown to reduce the need for invasive tests to measure coronary artery blockage from 74.5% to 25.5%.
$Performing CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) improves the accuracy of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and helps limit unneeded invasive coronary angiography (ICA), according to a new study published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. Heartflow$
New cardiac imaging strategy could reduce ICA, PCI rates
Radiologists with Massachusetts General Hospital found that the selective use of cardiac CT and AI-based CAD evaluations could make a significant impact on patient care.

Document offers guidance on curbing radiation exposure during CV imaging

An expert consensus document published May 2 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology offers recommendations for limiting radiation exposure to both patients and medical personnel during cardiovascular imaging procedures.

May 3, 2018

James K. Min named editor-in-chief of Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

James K. Min, MD, has been chosen to be the new editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (JCCT), the official journal of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT). He will serve a five-year term.

May 1, 2018

Seeing the Big Picture: Training Today’s Imagers to ‘Think Multimodality’

Cardiologists are receiving more exposure to different imaging modalities during their fellowships, but their job prospects and training vary widely. A more comprehensive and multimodality training approach could lead to better results.

January 18, 2018

A cardiac CT scan being performed at Duly Healthcare in suburban Chicago in the spring of 2022. This is one of the first outpatient cardiology clinics in the U.S. to implement a CCTA program for screening non-acute chest pain patients and for structural heart evaluations. This applies to CCTA, CTA, Cardiac CT, and CT angiography and coronary CT angiography.

Be Mindful of the Stark Law in CCTA Alliances

Numerous radiology groups are currently discussing arrangements whereby cardiologists and the radiologists would essentially split the responsibilities for reading coronary CT angiography (CCTA) studies. Most commonly, as proposed, the cardiologists would read and generate a signed interpretation report, but limited to the cardiac portion of the

October 16, 2006

Computed Tomography

AI helps cardiologists track new drug's effect on inflammation

AI improves CT assessments, boosts care for real-world heart patients

AI predicts cardiovascular risk during CT scans—no invasive tests or contrast required

CT procedure shown to reduce need for invasive cardiac testing

New cardiac imaging strategy could reduce ICA, PCI rates