CT Angiography

Diagnosis

64-Slice LightSpeed VCT Scanner

Cutting-Edge Technology for Cardiac CTA or Diagnostic CT Angiography (CTA)

Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin are leading the way in next-generation CT angiography imaging technology with the 64-Slice LightSpeed Volume Computed Tomography (VCT) Scanner. Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin perform diagnostic angiography almost exclusively with the VCT scanner. Because we were the first in the world (2004) to use this revolutionary scanner to detect coronary artery disease (CAD), we have the longest experience with the VCT.

What are CTA and Cardiac CTA?

A computerized tomography (CT) scan is a type of X-ray that uses a computer to make cross-sectional images of the body. CT angiography combines a CT scan with an injection of a special dye to produce pictures of blood vessels and tissues in a part of your body. The dye is injected through an intravenous (IV) line started in the arm or hand. Cardiac CTA focuses on producing images of the heart’s structure and function, including valves and chambers.

The LightSpeed Advantage

The 64-Slice LightSpeed VCT Scanner combines rapid X-ray scanning with multiple CT imaging to produce highly detailed images assembled by a computer. VCT images can be used to diagnose common and hard-to-detect conditions in the heart and blood vessels. In the Emergency Room, a single scan can be used to assess life-threatening conditions in chest pain, such as clogged arteries or a torn aorta.

Compared to other diagnostic techniques that involve using an invasive catheter, CT angiography with the 64-Slice LightSpeed VCT scanner is less invasive, faster, more convenient for patients, and provides a high-resolution image.

Reasons for CT Angiography

CTA may be used with patients who have an abnormality that involves the blood vessels of the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, or other parts of the body. Doctors may use the information from this test to learn more about a patient’s condition or to plan treatment. Information from CT angiography may help prevent a stroke or a heart attack.

Some reasons to have a CT angiogram include:

To find an aneurysm (a blood vessel that has become enlarged and may be in danger of rupturing)
To find blood vessels that have become narrowed by atherosclerosis (fatty material that forms plaques in the walls of arteries)
To find abnormal blood vessel formations inside your brain
To identify blood vessels damaged by injury
To find blood clots that may have formed in your leg veins and traveled into your lungs
To evaluate a tumor that is fed by blood vessels

Learn more about other diagnostic tests offered through the Heart and Vascular Center at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin.

Date: Nov. 19, 2012

Online Editor(s): Kathryn Adam