Computed tomography has been going through a dramatic evolution of technology in the past years. The increased spatial and temporal resolution directly translate into improved image quality and more versatile applications. Indeed, entirely new areas of clinical application have emerged, one of the most prominent being the recent advent of cardiac computed tomography. Especially CT angiography of the coronary arteries – often referred to as coronary CT angiography – has received tremendous interest and is currently entering the clinical arena.
In fact, it has the potential to greatly alter the way in which many patients with suspected coronary artery disease will be worked up. However, the technique is still relatively new to the medical community. Furthermore, in the recent past several developments – such as substantial further improvement of scanner technology and the extensive use of low-dose acquisition protocols – have been introduced and will influence the utilization of cardiac CT. At this stage, it is crucial that all those potentially involved in the new imaging technology – those who perform and interpret the scan and also those who order a cardiac CT and advise their patients as to whether a CT examination might be the right test for them – are well informed about the technology and answers it can provide, about its limitations and problems, and about how to best apply it in a given clinical situation.
This is why the textbook edited by Dr. Dewey is most welcome. With ample illustrations, it provides the technological background and principles of scan acquisition and interpretation as well as outlines the range of clinical applications of cardiac CT. May it be a useful resource to its readers and may it contribute towards the further development of this exciting field.
In fact, it has the potential to greatly alter the way in which many patients with suspected coronary artery disease will be worked up. However, the technique is still relatively new to the medical community. Furthermore, in the recent past several developments – such as substantial further improvement of scanner technology and the extensive use of low-dose acquisition protocols – have been introduced and will influence the utilization of cardiac CT. At this stage, it is crucial that all those potentially involved in the new imaging technology – those who perform and interpret the scan and also those who order a cardiac CT and advise their patients as to whether a CT examination might be the right test for them – are well informed about the technology and answers it can provide, about its limitations and problems, and about how to best apply it in a given clinical situation.
This is why the textbook edited by Dr. Dewey is most welcome. With ample illustrations, it provides the technological background and principles of scan acquisition and interpretation as well as outlines the range of clinical applications of cardiac CT. May it be a useful resource to its readers and may it contribute towards the further development of this exciting field.
Contents
1 Introduction
2 Technical and Personnel Requirements
3 Anatomy
4 CT in the Context of Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Management
5 Cardiac CT in Clinical Practice
6 Clinical Indications
7 Patient Preparation
8 Physics Background and Radiation Exposure
9 Examination and Reconstruction
10 Examinations on Different CT Scanners
10a Toshiba Aquilion 64 and Aquilion ONE
10b Siemens Somatom Sensation and Definition
10c Philips Brilliance 64 and iCT
10d General Electric Light Speed VCT and Discovery CT750HD
11 Reading and Reporting
12 Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts
13 Coronary Artery Stents
14 Coronary Artery Plaques
15 Cardiac Function
16 Cardiac Valves
17 Coronary Artery Anomalies
18 Congenital and Acquired Heart Disease
19 Typical Clinical Examples
20 Results of Clinical Studies
21 Outlook
Index