Atypical Chest Pain in a Patient with Multiple Cardiovascular Risk Factors: CT Coronary Angiography Is the Route to Go

Volume 1, Jul 2012

Jonathan Chan, MBBS, FRACP, FRCP, FCSANZ, FACC, Sushil A. Luis MBBS, Christian R. Hamilton-Craig MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FSCCT, Brisbane, Australia

The feasibility of computed tomography angiography (CTA) for coronary imaging was first described in 1995 where electron beam CT was used to image the coronary arteries in 27 patients (1). The technology while providing high temporal resolution had substantial limitations in spatial resolution and image noise. The introduction of the first four-slice multidetector CT in the late 1990s provided improved spatial resolution and shorter acquisition times, allowing for the rapid advancement in this technology over recent years. Current-generation 64-detector scanners allow imaging of the entire heart over 5 to 7 beats, with newer generation scanners allowing imaging of the entire heart in a single cardiac cycle.


Volume 1, Number 3, Pages: 134-40