BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuCardiac CT scan overview Cardiac CT is a noninvasive diagnostic imaging technique that employs x-rays to obtain images of the heart. During a cardiac CT scan, an x-ray source and opposing detector move continuously around the patient in a circular path while the patient table moves slowly through the scanner allowing imaging on many different planes. The x-rays passing through the patient’s tissues are captured by a receiver on the opposite side of the body and sent to a computer that reconstructs an image of the heart, viewable from different perspectives. Each unit on the reconstructed image appears as a shade of gray depending on the transmission of x-rays through that part of the body – a property known as attenuation, which is measured in Hounsfield (H) units. Bone, calcium, and metal, for example, have a high attenuation and appear as white. Water and fat have intermediate attenuation and appear as gray, and air has a low attenuation and appears as black. In some cases, an attenuating iodine-based contrast agent may be administered intravenously to highlight the blood vessels and inspect them for abnormalities, a technique commonly referred to as cardiac CT angiography (CTA). Scanning is relatively rapid and cardiac CT allows for a visual evaluation of the entire heart in less than 30 seconds. Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsersAllVideoImagesTog Review Date: 7/3/2013 Reviewed By: The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Cardiac CT scan overview Cardiac CT is a noninvasive diagnostic imaging technique that employs x-rays to obtain images of the heart. During a cardiac CT scan, an x-ray source and opposing detector move continuously around the patient in a circular path while the patient table moves slowly through the scanner allowing imaging on many different planes. The x-rays passing through the patient’s tissues are captured by a receiver on the opposite side of the body and sent to a computer that reconstructs an image of the heart, viewable from different perspectives. Each unit on the reconstructed image appears as a shade of gray depending on the transmission of x-rays through that part of the body – a property known as attenuation, which is measured in Hounsfield (H) units. Bone, calcium, and metal, for example, have a high attenuation and appear as white. Water and fat have intermediate attenuation and appear as gray, and air has a low attenuation and appears as black. In some cases, an attenuating iodine-based contrast agent may be administered intravenously to highlight the blood vessels and inspect them for abnormalities, a technique commonly referred to as cardiac CT angiography (CTA). Scanning is relatively rapid and cardiac CT allows for a visual evaluation of the entire heart in less than 30 seconds. Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsers
