For some years now cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of mortality in western countries. Current state-of-the-art cardiac CT imaging, based on 64-slice systems together with dedicated post-processing images, offers the ability to investigate coronary arteries and cardiac structures in a non-invasive procedure with around a 5-sec. acquisition time. The purpose of this work is to give practical guidelines on cardiac CT imaging and especially coronary artery imaging based on the author's daily clinical practice. Most recent techniques of acquisition based on non-helical protocols showing a real dose reduction are presented and discussed. The book covers all steps in cardiac CT imaging from patient preparation, acquisition parameters, injection protocols and recommendations, post-processing images. The role of cardiac CT in routine examination workflow, including interaction with cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, is also discussed. Comprises a unique collection of images of highest quality produced with the most updated technology First book based on clinical experiences exclusively with low dose CT technique for cardiac imaging Presentation of data based on experience of more than 2,000 yearly examinations Contains extensive information on newest CT technology and lowest possible X-ray exposure for the patients DVD-rom with clinical cases
