This easy-to-experience exam can help provide your cardiologist with a more confident diagnosis

 

The chest pain that nags at you may be stress related.  Or it may not.  Your cardiologist can help determine if there is any reason to be concerned.

 

Once a series of basic stress tests are performed, there are options for further examination.  One of the most exciting and informative new choices is called a coronary CTA.

 

What is a CTA?

CT (computerized tomography) angiography (CTA) is an exam that uses X-ray beams to visualize structures and vessels throughout your body – in this case your heart. 

 

Images of your heart are acquired so that they can be reconstructed in three dimensions.  Beams of X-rays are passed from a device that rotates around your body and the resulting images are assembled by a computer into a three dimensional picture.

 

This exam is used to assist your cardiologist in the diagnostic evaluation of your heart, and its relation, if any, to your chest pain.

 

 

What’s a CT? Find out more about computed tomography. CT Exam guide

Why is CTA important?

It is critical for your cardiologist to get a good look at the major blood vessels (coronary arteries) running to your heart.  Vessels that appear narrow may indicate a buildup of plaque (cholesterol, lipids, white blood cells, calcium, and other substances in the walls of arteries). This may put you in danger of heart attack or stroke.

 

Traditionally the best way to get a good look at your heart has been to undergo a cardiac catheterization.  This procedure requires the technician to insert a catheter into your groin and thread it all the way up to your heart.  An iodine dye is then injected and X-ray angiography images taken.

 

While catheterization is often necessary, a comparison shows CTA offers certain advantages:

 

Coronary CTA:	Cardiac Catheterization:
Non-invasive – no catheter insertion required   Fast - entire procedure is done in 20-30 minutes   Efficient – CTA provides your doctor with a wealth of useful diagnostic cardiac information	Invasive – a catheter is threaded from the groin to the heart   Time consuming – recovery from a cardiac cath can consume an entire day   Incomplete – a cardiac cath does not show calcified plaque and may not show some narrowing of the vessel

 

With a 3D CTA image of your heart your cardiologist can quickly decide on the proper course of action.  The image can be sliced any which way to look at all the major arteries.  Blockages, partial blockages and clean arteries can be assessed.

 

If the results are normal this can be determined in 5 to 10 minutes.  And you may be saved from an unnecessary invasive examination.

 

Why Philips?

There are lots of CT scanners our there. Philips Brilliance CT systems are characterized by technological advancements that make the CTA exam simple for your cardiologist to administer and easy for you to experience.

 

Our Brilliance CT scanner (though our DoseWise™ design) reduces the amount of radiation to which you are exposed

• Our ‘Rate Responsive’ technologies help compensate for anxious patients whose variable heart rates can negatively impact image quality
• Our scanner is outstanding in its ability to select the right point in your heartbeat cycle to acquire the very best image
• Our rapid reconstruction software completes a full 3D rendering in just a few minutes

 

When it comes to imaging your heart, you and your physician need to make a good choice. Make it a sensible one – make it Philips.

 

- June 2007

 

 

 

 

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