Future Applications of Cardiothoracic CT

Radiologists are witnessing astonishing innovation and advancement of CT technologies and their clinical applications. This review highlights how photon-counting CT (PCCT), upright CT, and artificial intelligence (AI) may impact cardiothoracic CT applications for imaging and diagnosis. PCCT relies on new detectors that can bin the separate photon energies and allow for lower radiation dose and better spatial resolution. The clinical applications of PCCT in the coronary arteries are becoming the new standard for cardiac CT imaging. New upright CT has shown the benefits of imaging in the upright position and offers new insight into how the upright position affects biomechanics and physiology. Four-dimensional CT, which can be used to directly image perfusion, is challenging MRI and MR angiography for primacy in this area. The burgeoning role of AI and informatics is changing the way radiologists interpret and report many imaging examinations. The future is bright and promises lower radiation and intravenous contrast agent doses and higher spatial resolution, and will further incorporate deep learning to improve the effectiveness of CT.