Coronary CT angiography

Angio-TC Cardíaco

The Coronary CT angiography or non-invasive Coronarography is a diagnostic test to examine arteries of the heart, or coronary arteries, using state-of-the-art MDCT equipment (64 slices or rows of detectors) and an iodinated contrast agent to obtain two- and three-dimensional images. 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) entails high-speed imaging that is beneficial in assessing coronary arteries with high anatomical precision, particularly in evaluating narrowing or stenosis, calcifications, anatomical variants, etc., as its speed prevents the artefact caused by the constant movement of the heart (1,000 images can be obtained in less than 10 seconds). The information obtained requires processing at workstations equipped with specialised software capable of reconstructing the coronary arteries, thereby enabling an assessment to be made of the number, location and characteristics of the lesions. All this information is obtained non-invasively, involving a simple puncture of a peripheral vein (in the arm). To ensure the heart rate stays below 75 bpm, some patients will need preliminary treatment with beta blockers.