title: Cardiac computed tomographic angiography and the primary care physician.
abstract: Through advancements in computer processing speed and storage capacity, new cardiac imaging modalities have become clinically feasible and useful. Cardiac computed tomographic angiography, a new diagnostic imaging modality, is capable of assessing coronary artery disease and left ventricular function on a par with invasive coronary arteriography in selected patients who meet appropriate use criteria. This imaging modality is of clinical value in the assessment of patients with chest pain who have an intermediate risk of coronary atherosclerosis. The purpose of the present report is to educate primary care physicians about the basic principles of advanced cardiac imaging techniques and to convey a useful strategy for their appropriate use in the current environment of medical economics.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272-9698, USA. jrm1@neomed.edu
authors.forename: J Ronald
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Mikolich
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D013318:Stroke Volume; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left