Current Status of Cardiac CT for Nuclear Medicine Professionals: Coronary Artery Disease Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Radiology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Cardiac CT technology has advanced significantly over the last two decades.
• It is increasingly used as a noninvasive method for evaluating coronary artery disease (CAD).
• Cardiac CT acts as a preliminary diagnostic tool before invasive coronary angiography.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the comprehensive capabilities of cardiac CT in assessing CAD.
• To inform nuclear medicine professionals about cardiac CT's role in functional cardiac imaging.
• To emphasize cardiac CT as a potential 'one-stop-shop' for cardiac assessment.

Main Methods:

• Morphological evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) using CT.
• Assessment of hemodynamic significance via CT stress perfusion and CT-derived fractional flow reserve.
• Detection and localization of myocardial infarction and assessment of myocardial viability using delayed enhancement CT.

Main Results:

• Cardiac CT provides morphological evaluation of atherosclerotic plaques and stenosis.
• It assesses the hemodynamic significance of coronary artery stenosis.
• Delayed enhancement CT aids in myocardial infarction detection and viability assessment.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac CT is a versatile, noninvasive imaging modality for comprehensive CAD assessment.
• It integrates anatomical, functional, and myocardial characterization in a single session.
• Awareness of cardiac CT capabilities is crucial for nuclear medicine professionals for accurate functional assessment of CAD.