30-Second Review

Cardiac CT

Cardiac motion
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ECG synchronisation
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Select appropriate cardiac phase
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Fast temporal resolution
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High-quality cardiac imaging

Key Outputs

Coronary CTA
Contrast-enhanced coronary artery assessment
Calcium Scoring
Non-contrast quantification of coronary calcium
Agatston Score
Widely used coronary calcium quantification method
Cardiac Function
Selected phase and functional assessment

Clinical Applications

Coronary CTA
  • Coronary artery anatomy
  • Stenosis assessment
  • Plaque evaluation
Calcium Scoring
  • Cardiovascular risk assessment
  • Coronary calcium quantification
CAD Assessment
  • Suspected coronary artery disease
  • Anatomical assessment
Structural / Pre-procedural
  • Pre-procedural planning
  • Selected structural assessment

Advantages

  • Non-invasive coronary artery assessment
  • High temporal resolution reduces motion artefact
  • Prospective gating can substantially reduce dose
  • Calcium scoring supports risk assessment
  • Pre-procedural planning capability

Limitations

  • High heart rate degrades image quality
  • Arrhythmia and irregular rhythm
  • Heavy calcification causes artefact
  • Poor contrast timing compromises studies
  • ECG artefact and signal issues
  • Radiation exposure consideration
ECG synchronisation + high temporal resolution + appropriate contrast timing = high-quality cardiac CT.