Diagnostics
Cardiac CT / coronary CT
Cardiac CT produces a three-dimensional image of the heart and, unlike the other examinations mentioned, shows changes in the vessel wall directly and at an early stage. The physician can assess whether plaque is fibrous, lipid-rich or calcified and whether it narrows the vessel. You lie in the CT gantry for one or two minutes; the scan itself lasts only a few seconds. Contrast medium is injected into an arm vein beforehand. We do not perform cardiac CT ourselves; we work with a specialised centre.
How is the examination performed?
The examination is quick and painless. You lie on a couch that moves briefly into the ring-shaped CT gantry, which is open so that there is no sense of confinement. Contrast medium is given via an arm vein to make the coronary arteries visible; a brief, harmless warmth may occur. The scan itself lasts only a few seconds while you hold your breath. For image quality the heart rate is sometimes slowed slightly with medication.
What can it show?
- Calcifications of the coronary arteries (calcium score) as a measure of myocardial infarction risk
- Deposits (plaques) in the vessel wall – including soft, not yet calcified plaques
- Narrowings (stenoses) of the coronary arteries and their severity
- the composition of the deposits (fibrous, lipid-rich or calcified)
How accurate is the examination?
Cardiac CT is particularly reliable for excluding relevant coronary heart disease: if the CT is normal, significant narrowings are ruled out with a high degree of certainty. In many cases an invasive cardiac catheterisation can therefore be avoided. The method is also the only one that shows the vessel wall itself – and thus early changes – directly.
Benefits at a glance
- Non-invasive – a less invasive alternative to cardiac catheterisation.
- High certainty when excluding a significant narrowing.
- Early detection of deposits before they narrow the vessel.
- Fast – the scan itself lasts only seconds.
