ECR 2013 Rec: Coronary artery imaging from a chest CT examination: when and how #SF14b #A451
A-451 Coronary artery imaging from a chest CT examination: when and how
R. Marano | Sunday, March 10, 14:00 – 15:30 / Room G/H
The continuous technological evolution of multi-detector CT scanner characterized by larger detector array with increased anatomical coverage per rotation, faster rotation and table speed, and shorter acquisition time have made reliable to perform chest imaging with reduced cardiac motion artifacts, improving the assessment of heart and contiguous structures in the course of routine thorax CT. Further, the larger anatomic coverage of detectors and the availability of scan protocols with lower radiation dose have also made reliable to apply ECG-synchronization to chest CT study, and therefore to couple cardiac/coronary imaging with chest imaging. Different clinical queries requiring a chest CT imaging may underlie cardiac or coronary source that is not clinically evident; similarly, patients scheduled for thoracic surgery, staging or studied in emergency setting may present unexpected heart or coronary artery findings that can be detected in the course of pre-operative CT or may change the treatment and prognosis. Therefore, the capability to perform the assessment of both the heart and chest by a single diagnostic tool is becoming progressively significant because the evaluation of the heart often can provide clinically relevant information in the course of routine or emergency chest CT that is not otherwise easily available.
