Traditionally, cardiac CT scans are used to detect, diagnose or follow up coronary artery disease.

At Life Medical Imaging we perform Coronary Angiogram studies. Also known as a CTCA. Calcium Scoring is standard with all our Cardiac Imaging via our Low Dose CT Scanner.

cardiac CT scans

CT Coronary Angiography (CTCA) uses cardiac CT scans to take images of the coronary arteries of the beating heart allowing for the diagnosis of diseases within the vessels.

Liquid contrast agents are injected into a vein (usually in the arm) which increase the density of the blood in the vessels, and allow the inside and outside structure of blood vessels to be clearly visible on the CT angiogram images.

Medication to reduce blood flow and slow down the heart rate might also be given to make the images even clearer and easier to interpret. This will either be given in tablet form or into a vein through a cannula.

The coronary artery calcium score is a measurement of the amount of calcium in the walls of the arteries that supply your heart muscle. Using a special computed tomography (CT) cardiac CT scans of your heart.

It shows the amount of hardening of the artery wall (a disease called atherosclerosis) that you have. It tells you about your risk of a heart attack or stroke (brain attack) in the next five to ten years.

Your cardiologist may order a heart CT scan to detect, diagnose or follow up coronary artery disease. CT scans take images of the coronary arteries of the beating heart allowing for the diagnosis of diseases within the vessels.

Your cardiologist usually decides if a patient has a high or low risk for heart disease. Although heart CT scanning may be a useful tool in detecting blockages in heart arteries, the use of heart CT scans for patients with a lowì risk of heart disease is not recommended.

A cardiac CT scan usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete, although the scanning time is only a few seconds. In some cases, the procedure might include medications to reduce your blood flow and slow down the heart rate. In such cases, the whole procedure will usually take an hour.

A cardiac CT scan is probably the most reliable non-invasive technique to detect blocked arteries. A dye is injected into your circulation to visualize blockages in the arteries. When the dye reaches impenetrable or narrowed passages the scan shows a blockage.

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