A cardiac CT scan can help your doctor diagnose a heart condition or plan your treatment. A CT, which stands for computed tomography, uses X-ray and computer technology to create images of your heart.

When you have a cardiac CT at 博彩网站, you’ll find:

• Quick scheduling
• Fast results
• State-of-the-art equipment
• Complex scans that aren’t widely available
• A team that puts your safety and comfort first

What is a cardiac CT scan

A cardiac CT scan is a quick, painless test that uses X-ray and computed tomography to create an image of your heart. It’s also used to look at the surrounding blood vessels.

At 博彩网站, we also offer specialized scans that use CT technology, including:

• Coronary calcium scan, which can help you understand your risk for heart attack or stroke.
• Cardiac SPECT and PET CT, which combine CT technology with nuclear medicine to create a detailed 3D image of your heart and the blood flow into the heart.

What cardiac CT is used for

Your doctor will recommend a cardiac CT scan to help diagnose a heart condition. They may also use it to help plan treatment for your heart condition.

You might get a cardiac CT scan if you have:

• Aortic disease
• Coronary heart disease
• Heart attack
• Atherosclerosis (a buildup of plaque in your heart arteries)
• Arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation
• Narrow or leaky heart valves

How to prepare for a cardiac CT

You’ll receive detailed instructions about how to prepare for your cardiac CT from your care team and through MyChart. It’s important to follow these instructions closely. If you do not follow the instructions, we may have to reschedule your scan.

Your doctor might ask you to:

• Avoid taking certain medications
• Fast for a specified length of time
• Avoid caffeine and smoking
• Remove jewelry and metal objects

What happens during a cardiac CT

You might be given a substance called contrast, which helps your organs and tissue show up better in the scan. You will either drink the contrast or get it through an IV. You might be given medicine to slow your heart rate and to make your heart vessels larger. This can make the images of your heart better.

Then you’ll lie down on a table that moves in and out of the CT scanner. We have cushions to make it more comfortable. You’ll be able to talk to your care team, and they will check on you often.

A cardiac CT scan takes 5-25 minutes.

After your appointment

After your test, our team will send the results to your doctor. Your doctor will review the results and share their recommendations with you.

Your cardiac CT results play a part in your treatment. But they do not determine your treatment. Your doctor will think about things like your age, risk factors and overall health in recommending next steps.

Coronary calcium scan

A coronary calcium scan is a type of CT scan that measures the amount of calcium in the arteries that supply blood to your heart. During the test, a CT scanner takes pictures of the entire heart and coronary arteries.

The test takes about 15 minutes and does not require an IV or contrast dye.

Coronary CT angiography

A coronary CT angiography is a type of CT scan that shows the details of heart vessels. The test allows doctors to see whether there are heart vessel blockages that can cause chest pain (angina) or heart attack (myocardial infarction).

The test also shows plaque buildup (accumulation of cholesterol and calcium) in the heart vessel wall earlier. Early detection means you can take medicine or make lifestyle changes that can decrease plaque buildup over time.

A new way to detect plaque in heart arteries

Maros Ferencik, M.D., Ph.D., M.C.R., section head of cardiac imaging at the 博彩网站 Knight Cardiovascular Institute, helped to develop and test new, noninvasive methods to find and measure plaque buildup in heart arteries.

Using special CT scan methods, physicians can measure the size of plaque in heart arteries. This information can be used to predict your risk of heart attack, adjust medications and decrease the plaque buildup over time.

博彩网站 provides these services to all patients undergoing CT scan of the heart vessels.