Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography

Patient Guideline Summary

Publication Date: November 19, 2020

Last Updated: November 28, 2023

Objective

This patient summary means to discuss key recommendations from the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography for coronary computed tomographic angiography.

Overview

Coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with blood. When they are diseased, they cause heart attacks.
We will use the abbreviation CT throughout this summary to refer to computed tomography and CTA to refer to computed tomographic angiography (imaging blood vessels).
The most common cause of disease in coronary arteries is arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Symptoms of a heart attack include heavy chest pain, heart pounding, light headedness, and sudden death.
If you have symptoms suggesting a heart attack, CTA of your coronary arteries is frequently the best initial test to determine both the diagnosis and the extent of disease in your coronary arteries.
Variations in technique allow quantitative measurements of blood flow and perfusion of blood into the heart muscle.
This patient summary focuses on imaging coronary arteries with CT.

Evaluation of Coronary Arteries Using CTA

If you have symptoms suggesting a heart attack, CTA of your coronary arteries is frequently the best initial test to determine both the diagnosis and the extent of disease in your coronary arteries.
Variations in technique allow quantitative measurements of blood flow and perfusion of blood into the heart muscle.
Other imaging methods and tests such as electrocardiograms and laboratory studies will further detail your condition.

CTA is usually the first test used for symptoms suggesting a heart attack.
CTA may also be used in patients at high risk of CAD, following a heart function test that suggests CAD or when planning or evaluating a surgical procedure to increase blood flow to the heart.
When evaluating coronary artery surgery, many details have been worked out to achieve the best outcome for each patient. CTA with modifications is used for many of these assessments.
There are many other situations where CTA can be useful:
- To assure that a patient’s heart can handle the stress of a proposed surgical procedure
- To identify other heart conditions such as leaky valves or diseases of the heart muscle
- To identify aortic diseases and abnormalities
- To find blood clots within the heart or lungs
A standardized reporting system had been developed to assure that all findings from CTA studies are available in each patient’s medical record.

Abbreviations

CAD: Coronary Artery Disease
CT: Computed Tomography
CTA: Computed Tomographic Angiography

Source Citation

Narula J, Chandrashekhar Y, Ahmadi A, Abbara S, Berman DS, Blankstein R, Leipsic J, Newby D, Nicol ED, Nieman K, Shaw L, Villines TC, Williams M, Hecht HS. SCCT 2021 Expert Consensus Document on Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography: A Report of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr. 2021 May-Jun;15(3):192-217. doi: 10.1016/j.jcct.2020.11.001. Epub 2020 Nov 20. PMID: 33303384; PMCID: PMC8713482.

Disclaimer

The information in this patient summary should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.