Cardiac MRI

A unique study documenting the prevalence of congenital heart disease in both adults and children in the same Quebecois population found a striking increase in the number of adults with CHD.

Acute coronary syndromes, especially acute myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death, are most often caused by the rupture or erosion of coronary atherosclerotic plaques. The plaque itself does not have to be associated with lumen narrowing.

Researchers may agree that cardiac MR is the modality of choice for predicting left ventricular remodeling, but they remain split on which contrast-enhanced CMR technique produces the most accurate prediction.

The shock of a surprise party or the loss of a loved one may not be the trigger of chest pain that sends grandma off to the hospital for emergency cardiac catheterization.

We continue to be both amazed and intrigued by the hype showered on cardiac CT angiography and the corresponding lack of hype given to peripheral vascular CTA. No doubt, 64-slice cardiac or coronary CTA is potentially a revolutionizing technology, but PV-CTA has already revolutionized the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of peripheral vascular disease.

Nonacademic private practice groups performing cardiovascular imaging studies have flourished during the past 30 years. As more practitioners entered private practice to meet growing demand and more hospitals developed advanced heart programs, cardiovascular services became increasingly accessible across the U.S.

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions has released a document recommending the adoption of stringent quality standards by those who perform percutaneous coronary intervention in hospitals not equipped for cardiac surgery.

The International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy in South Florida from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1 could easily be overshadowed by Super Bowl hype were it not for Dr. Archie Roberts.

Researchers may agree that cardiac MR is the modality of choice for predicting left ventricular remodeling, but they remain split on which contrast-enhanced CMR technique produces the most accurate prediction.

A small outcomes study presented at the RSNA meeting has shown that multislice cardiac CT can be applied in specific ways to eliminate unnecessary cardiac catheterizations for coronary artery disease.

Radiologists must embrace cardiac imaging, especially coronary CT angiography, but many are hesitant to do so, according to Dr. Kerry M. Link, a professor of radiology, cardiology, regenerative medicine, and biomedical engineering at Wake Forest University Health Science Center in Winston-Salem, NC.

As a practicing radiologist for 28 years, I was happy to see the Point/Counterpoint repartee between Dr. Carter Newton and Dr. David Dowe in Diagnostic Imaging (September 2006, pages 24 and 25) regarding cardiac CT angiography. It's time the radiology community and the medical community at large understand the difference between real imaging professionals and doctors who believe that cardiac imaging is some type of divine entitlement.

GE Healthcare's latest invention, SnapShot Cine, is a multislice CT software enhancement that borrows its method from the days of axial scanning. The big difference is that it cuts the x-ray dose for cardiac scans by 70% or more compared with conventional CT.

I have been performing CT angiography of the coronary arteries since 1993, mainly at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Collaboration with radiologists has been good from the start. I know of several other hospitals in Germany where cardiac CTA works similarly well, but I also know of many where it does not. Why the difference?

Cardiologists impressed by the diagnostic power of PET/CT are beginning to recognize its clinical importance. In sites where the transition from PET to PET/CT has been made, rising cardiac PET imaging volumes have followed.

Studies presented at the RSNA meeting suggest that the promise of dual-source CT will be fulfilled by a big boost in temporal resolution and a corresponding increase in its sensitivity to coronary artery disease.

Software upgrades introduced by GE Healthcare this week for the company's LightSpeed VCT scanner promise to cut patient x-ray dose for coronary CT angiography by 70% or more and double the area covered during dynamic angiography and perfusion.

Sixty-four-slice cardiac CT may be the most disruptive technology to hit coronary artery imaging since the introduction of SPECT. And its influence does not end at the diagnosis of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

Officials from the American College of Radiology and the American College of Cardiology, along with other interested stakeholders, have published a consensus report defining quality for all cardiovascular imaging modalities. They say that the focus on quality in cardiovascular imaging has been less intense than in other areas of cardiovascular medicine.

Advances in spatial, temporal resolution should help CT provide better functional, anatomic information

Advances in multislice CT, particularly the improved spatial and temporal resolution of 64-slice scanners, have changed the dynamics of cardiac imaging, seemingly overnight.

In a move calculated to open doors for CT as a cardiac screening tool, GE Healthcare will market a software upgrade for its LightSpeed VCT that will dramatically reduce the radiation dose patients receive during cardiac CT.

Calcium scores not only reveal calcified plaque, they also show noncalcified plaque with a good positive predictive value, according to a study presented at the North American Society for Cardiac Imaging meeting in Las Vegas this week.

A high number of extracardiac findings in patients who undergo CT scans are clinically important, according to a study of 963 patients presented at the North American Society for Cardiac Imaging meeting in Las Vegas this week.

Docs stuck trying to manipulate pull-down menus, adjusting windows, and leveling cardiac images can take heart. A new start-up firm in Durham, NC, has designed a cardiovascular image management system to help.

Focal renal mass procedure has few complications, shows high PPV for diagnosis of renal malignancy

Fusion SPECT/CT images may be better than multislice CT alone for evaluating patients with suspected myocardial infarction.

Junior high school student with proper training could read certain cardiac CT studies

Cardiovascular imaging demands new skills and a new focus from imaging technologists. While technologists evince plenty of interest in cardiovascular imaging, training opportunities remain in the early stages.