TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY OF THE HEART A1 - Ahmadi, Amir A1 - Narula, Jagat A1 - Leipsic, Jonathon A2 - Fuster, Valentin A2 - Harrington, Robert A. A2 - Narula, Jagat A2 - Eapen, Zubin J. PY - 2017 T2 - Hurst's The Heart, 14e AB - Computed tomography (CT) is a technique that can fully evaluate both cardiac structure and function. Recent advances in imaging allow for evaluation of not only relatively stationary anatomy, such as the thoracic aorta, but also rapidly moving structures, such as the myocardium and coronary arteries. This imparts the ability to noninvasively evaluate for significant coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial and pericardial abnormalities, and aortic pathology. When combined with electrocardiographic (ECG) gating, freeze-frame images of the heart can be obtained, eliminating most of the motion artifact. This is particularly important in contrast-enhanced CT angiography (CTA) of the coronary arteries and in quantification of coronary artery calcium. Advances in spatial and temporal resolution and image reconstruction software have also helped in the evaluation of cardiac structures such as coronary veins, saphenous vein grafts, atria, ventricles, and pulmonary arteries and veins, helping precisely define their spatial relationships within the cardiovascular system and allowing for a comprehensive assessment of a variety of cardiovascular disease processes. This chapter details the current and future role of cardiac CT for the assessment of cardiovascular physiology and pathology. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - accesscardiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1161725996 ER -