Clinical results of minimally invasive coronary angiography using computed tomography.
Fast, high-resolution CT techniques, such as EBCT and MDCT permit imaging of the coronary arteries. Continuous improvements in the capabilities of both technologies for visualization of the coronary lumen and detection of coronary artery stenoses are being made. Image quality currently is not robust enough in all patients to consider non-invasive coronary angiography by EBCT and MDCT a routine clinical tool. In selected patients and carefully performed, however, they show promise as means to exclude the presence of coronary artery stenoses in a non-invasive fashion. This may become a beneficial and important application of these technologies. Other possible applications pertain to smaller patient subsets, such as patients with anomalous coronary arteries, fistulas or aneurysms. The development of techniques to visualize non-calcified plaque is interesting with respect to assessment of coronary risk, but this requires further investigation.
Achenbach
Stephan
S
Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Sachenbach@partners.org
Ropers
Dieter
D
Pohle
Karsten
K
Anders
Katharina
K
Baum
Ulrich
U
Hoffmann
Udo
U
Moselewski
Fabian
F
Ferencik
Maros
M
Brady
Thomas J
TJ
D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods