Cardiac Imaging

While cardiac ultrasound is the widely used imaging modality for heart assessments, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear imaging are also used and are often complimentary, each offering specific details about the heart other modalities cannot. For this reason the clinical question being asked often determines the imaging test that will be used.

A comparison on the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy (left) with PET cardiac myocardial perfusion nuclear imaging exams (right).  The cardiac diagnosis of the galactic heart is motion artifact. Black hole image from the EHT Collaboration

Cardiologist and ASNC president diagnoses the heart of the galaxy based on black hole imaging

The first image of the black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy amazed the scientific community, but left cardiologists with questions about the true cardiac health of the galaxy.

ACC.22 kicked off on Saturday, April 2, in Washington, D.C.

VIDEO: Key technology trends in cardiology, as seen at ACC.22

American College of Cardiology President Edward T. A. Fry, MD, discusses his general takeaways on technology advances seen during ACC.22. 

Medtronic’s more deliverable drug-eluting stent gains FDA approval

According to Medtronic, the Onyx Frontier DES features improved catheter flexibility and a lower crossing profile.

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A key update: 1 year later, no signs of long-term heart damage among college athletes who had COVID-19

More than 3,500 college athletes with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis were included in the new study. The median follow-up period was more than one full year. 

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TAVR safe and effective for patients with mixed aortic valve disease

MAVD patients did face a higher risk of requiring a permanent pacemaker, researchers noted, though the reason for this trend remains unclear. 

State of the industry: 7 big takeaways from a new report on salaries and job satisfaction in cardiology

With physician burnout on the rise and a massive physician shortage on the way, it’s more important now than ever to keep a close eye on how the country’s cardiologists—and their colleagues—are being paid. 

CT-FFR before TAVR improves detection of coronary artery disease, limits invasive imaging exams

CT-FFR, which recently got a boost from the 2021 AHA/ACC chest pain guidelines, could play a key role for clinicians hoping to screen TAVR patients for coronary heart disease. 

An example of CT imaging coronary plaque assessment on TeraRecon's advanced visualization software.

VIDEO: Use of CT to assess coronary plaques

Leslee Shaw, PhD, director of The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, explains how cardiac computed tomography (CT) can be used to assess coronary plaques.