Coronary CT Angio

Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA)

East River Medical Imaging offers Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) utilizing the 64-Channel GE Volume CT (VCT).

This exciting technology is a technique giving a 3D, non invasive, 360° examination of the coronary arteries. CTA not only allows for the assessment of the arterial lumen (or the channel within the artery), but is also used to visualize the walls of the coronary arteries, demonstrating the presence of calcified and soft plaque or critical narrowing which could lead to a myocardial infarction (heart attack).

While the findings of Coronary Artery Calcification Screening (CACS) are limited to calcified atherosclerotic plaque, Coronary CTA (CCTA) is a more comprehensive exam whose findings are comparable to invasive coronary angiography.

Patients eligible for this exam must have a risk factor for heart disease which includes:

• Smoker or Former Smoker
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Post Menopausal
• Sedentary Lifestyle
• Family History of Heart Disease
• Known Heart Disease
• Known Vascular Disease

OR

• Atypical chest pain
• Evaluation of bypass grafts and stents

“In 2000, 1,500,000 coronary angiography procedures were performed in the US, 50% of which were diagnostic. Of those, 50% required no additional procedure.” – ACC/AHA Guidelines for Coronary Angiography, 1999, Scanlon and Faxon

“The rupture of a plaque will be the cause of death of about half of all of us in the United States.” - Dr. Steven Nissen, Cleveland Clinic.

East River Medical Imaging, PC has been leading the way in diagnostic technology for more than thirty years. For additional information about Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) offered at East River Medical Imaging on our 64-Channel Volume CT (VCT), please contact Katie Joanne Lovaas at 212.288.1575

What to Expect

The patient should be prepped as: no caffeine 12 hours prior to the exam (no caffeine in any form, including cola, black/green/white tea, and chocolate) and nothing to eat or drink (NPO) 4 hours prior. Please take required medication with as small amount of water as necessary. The patient should be prepared to list their medications. We will not scan a patient with “active chest pain.”. * Please see CCTA Patient Preparation section below for further details. The scan takes approximately ½ hour and is only done on our 64-Channel GE Volume CT (VCT) scanner. We ask that the patient arrive ½ hour before their scheduled appointment time.

Upon arrival and completion of paperwork, the patient will be taken to the back office by the technologist who will go over the patient’s medical history. The RN/radiologist will determine if IV beta blockers will be administered in addition to the beta blockers the patient took the prior evening and one hour before the exam. An IV line will be inserted in the arm around the inner elbow to administer the non-ionic contrast and/or additional beta blockers. The IV line is inserted prior to the patient going on the table to alleviate any added anxiety and increase in heart rate immediately before the study. The patient will be taken into the CT room and placed on the exam table. A 4 lead EKG will be attached to monitor their heart rate. After further instructions from the technologist the exam is performed.

After the study, the patient is instructed to drink plenty of fluids to help eliminate the contrast from the body. As with other CT studies, if the patient is diabetic and taking Glucophage, it must not be taken for 48 hours after the study. Also, patients who are breastfeeding, allergic to iodine, have multiple myeloma or have a history of kidney disease cannot undergo this study.

Preparation

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