CT Helps Diagnose Early Heart Disease

Clinical studies show that a 16-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner can visualize and differentiate coronary lesions in the early, possibly preclinical stage.

Dr. Christoph Becker, from the Grosshadern Clinic in Munich (Germany) presented the studies. "Based on the performance of this new technology, cardiac CT has the potential to become a complementary tool to invasive coronary catheterization and may allow for effective control of pharmaceutical treatment, such as lipid-lowering agents,” said Dr. Becker. He demonstrated that even small coronary arteries with less then 1 mm diameter could be assessed with the new scanner.

Called Somatom Sensation Cardiac, the scanner is the product of Siemens Medical Solutions (Erlangen, Germany). Because more images are gathered in one rotation of the CT gantry and because real-time reconstruction is possible, doctors are now able to gather more information in a shorter period of time, enabling them to make decisions faster, says Siemens.

"There is a clear need here for a reliable, noninvasive, and economical tool to diagnose heart disease at an early stage, and to track progression of disease in order to allow for successful medical care,” said Dr. Erich Reinhardt, president and CEO of Siemens Medical Solutions.




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