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Review
Cardiac and coronary CT comprehensive imaging approach in the assessment of coronary heart disease
  1. M C Williams1,
  2. J H Reid2,
  3. G McKillop3,
  4. N W Weir2,
  5. E J R van Beek2,
  6. N G Uren4,
  7. D E Newby1
  1. 1British Heart Foundation/University of Edinburgh Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
  2. 2Clinical Research Imaging Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
  3. 3Department of Clinical Radiology, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
  4. 4Edinburgh Heart Centre, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
  1. Correspondence to Michelle Claire Williams, Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Room SU305, Chancellor's Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 SU4, Scotland, UK; michelle.williams{at}ed.ac.uk

Abstract

Cardiac CT is a rapidly advancing technology. Non-invasive CT coronary angiography is an established technique for assessing coronary heart disease with accuracy similar to invasive coronary angiography. CT myocardial perfusion imaging can now identify perfusion defects in animal models and humans. MRI is the current ‘gold standard’ for the assessment of myocardial viability, but it is now also possible to assess delayed enhancement by CT. This has led to the possibility of a ‘one-stop shop’ for cardiovascular imaging that would provide information on anatomy, function, perfusion and viability in one rapid diagnostic test at a radiation dose equivalent to contemporary nuclear medicine imaging. This review discusses the current status of ‘one-stop shop’ cardiac CT assessment, clinical utility and directions for future research.

  • (MeSH) Myocardial Perfusion Imaging
  • Volume CT
  • x-ray CT
  • chest pain
  • imaging and diagnostics
  • interventional cardiology
  • pulmonary embolism
  • intravascular ultrasound
  • coronary vasomotion
  • endogenous fibrinolysis
  • endothelium
  • platelet activation
  • heart failure
  • thrombosis
  • haemostasis
  • vascular biology

https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2011-300037

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    Footnotes

    • Funding MCW is supported by a British Heart Foundation Clinical Research and Training Fellowship (FS/11/14/28692) and DEN holds the British Heart Foundation John Wheatley Chair of Cardiology. The Centre for Cardiovascular Science is the recipient of a British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence Award (RE/08/001). The Clinical Research Imaging Centre is supported by NHS Research Scotland (NRS) through NHS Lothian.

    • Competing interests EvB and DEN have given invited lecturers on behalf of Toshiba.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.