Cardiac CT Angiogram

Earlier this year we acquired a 128-slice CT scanner. One purpose of this scanner, among many, was to be able to perform Cardiac CT Angiograms (CCTA). Over the last six months we have perfected the process of CCTAs and are now offering the service to our referring physicians.

CCTAs are not an imaging study for everyone. In fact, standard cardiac angiograms are still the gold standard for diagnosing coronary artery disease. However, for a specific subset of patients it is a very good alternative for ruling out cardiac disease.

Specifically, CCTA is a good choice for the following outpatient groups:

1. Unexplained or atypical chest pain in a patient with low to intermediate likelihood of coronary artery disease based on age, gender and other risk factors.
2. Typical or atypical chest pain with normal or equivocal stress test and normal or equivocal ECG findings.

Radiation exposure should always be taken into account as a risk when ordering any x-ray study, including CCTA. (Radiation is measured in millisieverts, mSv). Because of the speed of our 128-slice CT, we have the ability to minimize the radiation exposure for patients undergoing a CCTA. We have successfully been able to perform the CCTA studies using less than 6 mSv (considered low risk for lifetime chance of malignancy). In comparison, we are all exposed to about 3 mSv annually from the natural radiation in our environment.

To achieve this low exposure to radiation, it is important to make sure the patient’s heart rate is low, and a dose of a medication to slow the heart rate down, such as a beta blocker, is usually recommended prior to the study. This will be done prior to the CT if the heart rate is higher than recommended.

Scheduling a CCTA is done through our Central Scheduling office at (248) 471-8100. The scheduler will advise the patient about the preparation for the test. If you have any further questions regarding a CCTA you should discuss this with a Cardiologist prior to recommending the study to your patients.