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.

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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.  

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