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Coronary CT Angiography - A Non-Invasive Look Inside the HeartPosted on Jan 17, 2006
The New Way to Check Your Heart’s Health
A father of four whose brother recently had a massive heart attack is, himself, concerned that the same could happen to him. He has high cholesterol and has been unable to quit smoking. Until recently, however, the only accurate procedure to directly see the coronary arteries has been an invasive, and occasionally risky, cardiac catheterization. Over the past several years a new procedure has been developed. Radiologists can use a CT scanner, a small dose of a medication to slow the heart, and a small amount of x-ray dye to safely evaluate the coronary arteries. While the scan only takes about 10-15 seconds to acquire, patients should plan on spending about an hour on their visit, allowing time for proper preparation for the exam. 3-dimensional images are then created on a computer. This enhances the evaluation of the coronary arteries. Potentiallly life-threatening lesions are quickly and accurately assessed. “This is a revolutionary procedure which has the potential to save a patient’s life. It will likely soon be the standard technique for screening of the coronary arteries,” says Dr. Kurt Muetterties, Medical Director of Southeast Medical Imaging at Brinton Lake. The procedure requires a CT scanner which is capable of acquiring information at a very high rate of speed. A scanner of this caliber has only been developed in the last year and is only available in a few locations in southeastern Pennsylvania at the current time.
Based on the results of the study, the radiologist may make one of several possible recommendations. If the coronary arteries are normal or have only mild disease, the radiologist may recommend that the patient follow up with his or her physician in order to assess risk factors for coronary artery disease with appropriate modifications to diet and medications as deemed appropriate. When Moderate disease is found, the radiologist will likely suggest correlation with a nuclear medicine stress test to help determine whether the disease is significant enough to put the patient at risk for a heart attack. In only a few instances will severe coronary artery disease be seen which will require more invasive testing such as a coronary catheterization. “of utmost importance, however” says Dr. Gregory Schwartzman of Southeast Medical Imaging at Brinton Lake, “is that the patient with normal or only mild coronary artery disease can be reassured that their heart is healthy and this will often encourage those patients to continue to lead a healthy lifestyle.”
Written by Eric Rubin, MD
Southeast Medical Imaging at Brinton Lake
Contact Information:
300 Evergreen Drive
Suite 210
Glen Mills, PA 19342
(610) 579-3500