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Cardiac CT Scan Services
Miami International Cardiology Consultants offers the following Cardiac CT Services:
What is Cardiac CT?Cardiac computed tomography (to-MOG-rah-fee), or cardiac CT, is a painless test that uses an x-ray machine to take clear, detailed pictures of the heart. This common test is used to look for problems in the heart. During a cardiac CT scan, an x-ray machine will move around your body in a circle. The machine will take a picture of each part of your heart. A computer will put the pictures together to make a three-dimensional (3D) picture of the whole heart. Sometimes an iodine-based dye (contrast dye) is injected into one of your veins during the scan. The contrast dye travels through your blood vessels, which helps highlight them on the x-ray pictures. Because an x-ray machine is used, cardiac CT involves radiation. Although the amount of radiation used is considered small, it's similar to the amount of radiation you're naturally exposed to over a 3-year period. There's a small chance that cardiac CT will cause cancer because of the radiation involved. The risk is higher for people younger than 40 years old, especially children. However, new cardiac CT methods are available that reduce the amount of radiation used for this test. Cardiac CT is a common test for finding and/or evaluating:
What To Expect During Cardiac CT?The cardiac CT scan will take place in a hospital or outpatient office. A doctor who has experience with CT scanning will supervise the test. Your doctor may want to use an iodine-based dye (contrast dye) during the cardiac CT scan. If so, a needle connected to an intravenous (IV) line will be put in a vein in your hand or arm. The contrast dye will be injected through the IV during the scan. You may have a warm feeling when this happens. The dye will highlight your blood vessels on the CT scan pictures. The technician who runs the cardiac CT scanner will clean areas of your chest and apply sticky patches called electrodes. The patches are attached to an EKG (electrocardiogram) machine to record your heart's electrical activity during the scan. The CT scanner is a large machine that has a hollow, circular tube in the middle. You will lie on your back on a sliding table. The table can move up and down, and it goes inside the tunnel-like machine. The table will slowly slide into the opening in the machine. Inside the scanner, an x-ray tube moves around your body to take pictures of different parts of your heart. A computer will put the pictures together to make a three-dimensional (3D) picture of the whole heart. The technician controls the CT scanner from the next room. He or she can see you through a glass window and talk to you through a speaker. Moving your body can cause the pictures to blur. You'll be asked to lie still and hold your breath for short periods, while each picture is taken. A cardiac CT scan usually takes about 15 minutes to complete. However, it can take more than an hour to get ready for the test and for the medicine to slow your heart rate enough. What Does Cardiac CT Show?Many x-ray pictures are taken during a cardiac CT scan. A computer puts the pictures together to make a three-dimensional (3D) picture of the whole heart. This picture shows the inside of the heart and the structures that surround the heart.
Cardiac CT also may be used before or after certain heart procedures, such as cardiac resynchronization therapy and coronary artery bypass grafting. A cardiac CT can help your doctor pinpoint the areas of the heart or blood vessels where the procedure should be done. The scan also can help your doctor check your heart after the procedure. What Are the Risks of Cardiac CT?Because an x-ray machine is used, cardiac CT involves radiation. Although the amount of radiation used is considered small, it's similar to the amount of radiation you're naturally exposed to over a 3-year period. There's a small chance that cardiac CT will cause cancer because of the radiation involved. The risk is higher for people younger than 40 years old, especially children. However, new cardiac CT methods are available that reduce the amount of radiation used for this test. Cardiac CT scans are painless. Some people feel side effects from the contrast dye that's sometimes used during the cardiac CT scan. An itchy feeling or a rash may appear after the contrast dye is injected. Neither side effect normally lasts for long, so medicine often isn't needed. If you do want medicine to relieve the symptoms, your doctor may prescribe an antihistamine. This type of medicine is used to help stop allergic reactions. Although rare, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction to the contrast dye that causes breathing problems. Medicines are used to treat serious reactions. People who have asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or heart failure may have breathing problems during cardiac CT if they're given beta blockers to slow down their heart rates. Coronary Calcium ScoringA coronary calcium scoring is another common test used to identify coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. CHD is the most common type of heart disease in both men and women. In CHD, a substance called plaque builds up inside your coronary arteries. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. Plaque narrows your coronary arteries and reduces blood flow to your heart muscle. It also makes it more likely that blood clots will form in your coronary arteries. Blood clots can partly or completely block blood flow to part of your heart muscle. This can cause chest pain or discomfort called angina or a heart attack. CHD also can lead to heart failure or arrhythmias. OverviewA coronary calcium scan looks for specks of calcium (called calcifications) in the walls of the coronary arteries. Using computerized tomography (CT) scans, calcium deposits show up as bright white spots on the scan. These calcifications are an early sign of CHD. The test can show whether you're at increased risk for a heart attack or other heart problems before other signs and symptoms occur.
During the procedureA heart scan takes only a few minutes. The scan is noninvasive — it requires no needles, cutting or medications to make you fall asleep or relax. After the procedureThere aren't any special precautions you need to take after having a heart scan. You should be able to drive yourself home and continue your daily activities.
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