Cardiac CT is the very latest diagnostic tool that is changing the way cardiology practice is currently carried out. It can rapidly produce three and four dimensional pictures of the heart. It can do this both quickly (the average CT scan takes approximately 10-15 minutes with only 8 seconds of actual scanning) and non-invasively, unlike a conventional coronary angiogram, and is a great way for doctors to assess their patients.
The Clinical Benefits of Cardiac CT include:
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Detection
Cardiac CT can assess the risk for Coronary Artery Disease by scoring for calcium and at the same time detect the prescence of artherosclerotic plaque
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Diagnosing
It can help diagnose Coronary Artery Disease blockages non-invasively and at the same time assess cardiac function. A negative calcium score has a high predictive value for Coronary Artery Disease.
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Prevention
Coronary Artery Disease can be detected when the arteries are less than 50% narrowed. Standard cardiac tests, as you know, will not reliably detect this level of blockage. More than half of all heart attacks occur with less than 50% narrowing. Early diagnosis will help identify those at risk patients that need more intensive primary prevention.