Computed Tomography

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has become a primary cardiovascular imaging modality in the past 20 years, and was recommended as a 1A recommendation in the 2021 chest pain assessment guidelines. CT calcium scoring has became a primary risk assessment for coronary artery disease and whether patients should be on statins. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is used to for anatomical assessment of the arteries for plaque burden and to identify areas of blockage that may cause ischemia and heart attacks. Additional use of contrast CT perfusion or fractional flow reserve CT (FFR-CT) can offer physiological information on the function of the heart. CT plays a primary role in structural heart assessments for heart valves, repair of congenital defects and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) for both pre-procedure planning and procedural guidance. Find more news on general radiology CT use.

With the shortage, which pertains specifically to all formulations and concentrations of GE Healthcare’s Omnipaque (iohexol), expected to last until mid-June, several organizations have eluded that conservation efforts are of critical importance.#contrastshortage #CTcontrast #iodinatedcontrast

GE provides update on contrast media shortage

The COVID lockdowns at the Shanghai plant began on March 31, and although the plant there has since resumed operations, they are not yet at 100% capacity.

May 18, 2022
ACC.22 kicked off on Saturday, April 2, in Washington, D.C.

VIDEO: Key technology trends in cardiology, as seen at ACC.22

American College of Cardiology President Edward T. A. Fry, MD, discusses his general takeaways on technology advances seen during ACC.22. 

May 13, 2022
Performing CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) improves the accuracy of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and helps limit unneeded invasive coronary angiography (ICA), according to a new study published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. Heartflow

CT-FFR before TAVR improves detection of coronary artery disease, limits invasive imaging exams

CT-FFR, which recently got a boost from the 2021 AHA/ACC chest pain guidelines, could play a key role for clinicians hoping to screen TAVR patients for coronary heart disease. 

May 11, 2022
An example of CT imaging coronary plaque assessment on TeraRecon's advanced visualization software.

VIDEO: Use of CT to assess coronary plaques

Leslee Shaw, PhD, director of The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, explains how cardiac computed tomography (CT) can be used to assess coronary plaques.

May 9, 2022
transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure guided by CT fusion imaging on a patient with heart failure and a blood clot. CT fusion imaging-guided deployment of the Sentinel Cerebral Protection System during a TAVR procedure. Image courtesy of Vasudev et al.

Cardiologists and surgeons perform first TAVR using CT imaging guidance on HF patient with blood clot

“We believe this case is potentially groundbreaking," one interventional cardiologist said. 

May 6, 2022
Siemens Healthineers showed examples at ACC 2022 of cardiac computed tomography (CT) from its new Naeotom Alpha photon-counting CT scanner cleared by the FDA in 2021.

VIDEO: Example of photo-counting cardiac CT with calcified coronaries

Siemens Healthineers showed examples at ACC 2022 of cardiac computed tomography (CT) from its new Naeotom Alpha photon-counting CT scanner cleared by the FDA in 2021.

May 4, 2022
lung CT

Study urges radiologists to report CAC findings on all chest CTs, regardless of clinical indication

Although current guidelines recommend radiologists evaluate CAC on all non-gated, non-contrast chest CT scans, the authors of the study note that these guidelines are not consistently followed.

May 2, 2022
Pills

Statin reduces risk for non-obstructive CAD patients but no significant risk reduction for aspirin

The results of a study published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imagincall into question the value of initiating aspirin therapy in certain instances.

April 29, 2022

Around the web

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

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