Multirow CT angiography of coronary arteries

The introduction of spiral multislice or multidetector CT (MSCT) has led to significant results in coronary diagnostic imaging. In fact with MSCT, isotropic (cubic voxel) three-dimensional imaging of large volumes (e.g. the entire cardiac volume) was possible in a single breath-hold. Moreover, with dedicated reconstruction algorithms, temporal resolution and scannable volume could be optimized, limiting the artifacts associated with the spiral technique. The quantification of calcium deposits in the coronary walls and, in particular, the morphologic study of these vessels represent an important challenge to this technique. Multislice CT with retrospective gating is now a relevant diagnostic instrument in coronary heart disease; however only most recent CT devices with 16 rows of detectors enable a real solution of problems of spatial (isotropic, submillimetric imaging) and temporal (< 0.5 s rotation time) required for correct identification of stenosis and plaque characterization, which are the two main goals of noninvasive coronary imaging.