CT Angiography (CTA)

This channel includes news and new technology innovations for CT systems use a series of X-ray images to create an image volume datasetthatcan slices or manipulated on any plane using advanced visualization software. The section includes computed tomography scanners, CT contrast agents, CT angiography (CTA and CCTA), CT perfusion, spectral CT (dual souce CT), and interative reconstruction dose reduction software. Find more news on cardic CT in the Society of Cariovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) channel page.

An example of radiation dose tracking software from Imalogix showing data on cath lab angiography cases at RSNA 2019. Photo by Dave Fornell

Feature | Radiation Dose Management | Dave Fornell, Editor

Medical Imaging Radiation Levels in U.S. Dropped Over Past Decade

More than a decade ago, there was an alarming, rapid rise in ionizing radiation exposure in the U.S. population that was ...

November 04, 2020

An example of a HeartFlow FFR-CT image showing the blood flow through what looked like a significant blockage on CT angiography alone actually was not flow limiting based on computational fluid dynamics. Use of the technology was supposed to reduce the number of diagnostic catheterizations in the FORECAST trial, but the costs of FFR-CT were not offset enough to show cost savings. #TCT2020 #TCTconnect

News | FFR Technologies | Dave Fornell, Editor

FFR-CT Did Not Significantly Reduce Costs But Reduced Rates of Invasive Coronary Angiography

October 22, 2020 – In the FORECAST randomized clinical trial, the use of fractional flow reserve (FFR) derived from ...

October 22, 2020

An example of a CT coronary artery calcium scoring exam showing how each vessel segment is scored to assess a patient's risk for a future heart attack. Example is from Philips Healthcare.

News | Cardiac Imaging

Study Finds Removing Cost from Calcium Score Testing Increased Utilization

September 25, 2020 — A study out of University Hospitals (UH) found that removing the cost barrier for coronary artery ...

September 25, 2020

An example of a cardiac CT scan showing a 3-D reconstriction of the heart showing a stented vessel, and reformatted images showing the stented coronary artery with restenosis from different views. This was imaged using a Canon Aquilion Prime CT system.

Feature | CT Angiography (CTA)

Current Evidence for Cardiac CT Calls for Change in Recommendations and Reimbursements

September 8, 2020 — The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) published a report, “Current Evidence and ...

September 08, 2020

A calcium scoring CT scan showing a segment of heavily calcified coronary artery.

News | CT Angiography (CTA)

CT Scan For Arterial Plaque is Better at Predicting Heart Attack Than Stroke

August 20, 2020 – The amount of calcified plaque in the heart’s arteries on computed tomography (CT) scans is a better ...

August 20, 2020

Sheer stresses on the walls of arteries are believed to cause the formation atherosclerotic plaques. This is an area of research that is expected to see increased use in the next few years. This study was presented at SCCT 2020 as an example of how sheer stresses can help evaluate and predict the patency of coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG). #SCCT2020 #yesCCT

Feature | CT Angiography (CTA) | Dave Fornell, Editor

Key Trends in Cardiac CT at SCCT 2020

The latest technical advances and trends in computed tomography (CT) and the latest clinical study data were discussed ...

August 14, 2020

During the SCCT 2020 virtual meeting, SCCT President Ron Blackstein, M.D., Brigham and Women's, presents the SCCT Gold Award to John Lesser, M.D., MSCCT, director of advanced imaging and cardiac CT, Minneapolis Heart Institute, Abbott Northwestern Hospital.

News | CT Angiography (CTA) | Dave Fornell, Editor

SCCT Honors Cardiac CT Expert John Lesser For Research and Bringing Together Cardiology and Radiology

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) gave its 2020 Gold Metal Award to computed tomography (CT) ...

August 14, 2020

Videos | Cardiac Imaging

VIDEO: Example of Strain Imaging That Can Derive Hemodynamic Pressure Loops

Advanced visualization company Medis recently purchased Advanced Medical Imaging Development S.r.l. (AMID), which ...

August 12, 2020

Videos | Artificial Intelligence

VIDEO: Artificial Intelligence to Automate CT Calcium Scoring and Radiomics

Todd Villines, M.D., FACC, FAHA, MSCCT, explains how artificial intelligence (AI) might be used in the near future to ...

August 12, 2020

Videos | Computed Tomography (CT)

VIDEO: Photon Counting Detectors Will be the Next Major Advance in Computed Tomography

Todd Villines, M.D., FACC, FAHA, MSCCT, said photon counting CT detectors were a key new technology discussed at the Soc ...

August 11, 2020

Videos | CT Angiography (CTA)

VIDEO: Key Cardiac CT Papers Presented at SCCT 2020

Todd Villines, M.D., FACC, FAHA, MSCCT, explains some of most influential cardiac CT clinical papers from the past year ...

August 11, 2020

Videos | CT Angiography (CTA)

VIDEO: Coronary Plaque Quantification Will Become Major Risk Assessment

Todd Villines, M.D., FACC, FAHA, MSCCT, explains how coronary plaque assessment will become a new risk assessment tool ...

August 11, 2020

Videos | CT Angiography (CTA)

VIDEO: Increased Use of Cardiac CT During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Todd Villines, M.D., FACC, FAHA, MSCCT, explains some of the discussion on CT used for COVID-19 patients at the Society ...

August 11, 2020

An example of perivascular fat attenuation index (FAI) imaging inside the coronary vascular wall to show areas of inflammation. #SCCT2020

Feature | CT Angiography (CTA) | Dave Fornell, Editor

Low-attenuation Coronary Plaque Burden May Become Next Big Cardiac Risk Assessment

There is a promising recent development in cardiovascular computed tomography angiography (CCTA) to analyze plaque to ...

July 30, 2020

Left, a 3-D rendering of a heart from a cardiac CT exam. Right, a lung-CT exam showing the heart and ground glass lesions in the lungs of a COVID-19 patient. CT has become a front-line imaging modality in the COVID era because it offers both cardiac and lung information to help determine a patients disposition with chest pain, COVID-19 and COVID-caused myocarditis and pulmonary embolism.

Feature | Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Dave Fornell, Editor

Impact of Cardiac CT During COVID-19

July 28, 2020 — The use of cardiovascular computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is one of the areas that has seen a ...

July 28, 2020