title: [CT and the heart: present state of the art and its future. A review (author's transl)].
abstract: Overview of non-invasive cardiac computed tomography (CCT) presently technologically feasible--with an outlook on the future. CCT seems to be an addition to the cardiodiagnostic imaging spectrum of cardiac isotope scanning and cardiosonography already firmly established; and it will probably soon have to establish its rank. The indications for CCT already proven and those awaited in the future will be systematically analyzed in this presentation. Conventional present-day CCT with long scanning times of 3-5 seconds has already provided satisfactory clinical information, considering the fact that there is slow motion of the damaged area in myocardial disease as experimentally shown by an over 20 min long arrest of contrast-material (given i.v.) in the infarcted areas. EKG-gated scanning and reconstruction techniques under development will provide better spatial and chronological resolution. However, much development is yet to be done, it is to be expected that CCT will eventually render data about the function of a specific area of the ventricular wall. Decreased scanning times and scanning intervals will provide dynamic studies of cardiac function and allow time/concentration examinations. These latter studies will be especially valuable to demonstrate the intracavitary cardiac flow in detail.
mesh_terms: D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
vernacular_title: Derzeitige und zukünftige Möglichkeiten des CT-Einsatzes am Herzen. Eine Ubersicht.