[CTA of carotid artery with different scanner types]

Noninvasive modalities like CTA are increasingly replacing selective angiography in the evaluation of carotid artery stenosis. Dedicated scan protocols and contrast injection techniques are mandatory for the morphological assessment of carotid artery stenosis. These protocols need to be adapted to different scanner types. The delineation of plaque components and the residual lumen is improved with high resolution scan protocols and dedicated reconstruction algorithms. The exact delineation of in-stent stenosis remains limited. Standardization of postprocessing is crucial in order to attain reproducible results. Multislice spiral CT allows reliable grading of carotid artery stenosis. Relevant venous opacification and pulsation artifacts have to be expected with 4-slice scanners, the short scan time of the latest CT scanners minimize these problems.