Cardiology Care Consultant's 64-Slice CT Scanning delivers high-speed, high-resolution images, which allows physicians to capture precise images of any area of the body, including the rapidly moving heart and lungs, which frequently appear blurry when scanned by a traditional CT scanner. This fast scanning capability allows important diagnostic information concerning the heart to be obtained within a single breath-hold as short as 10 seconds, while a CT angiogram can be imaged within 15 seconds. The Aquilion CFX delivers superior images that enable physicians to clearly visualize the heart, its vessel walls and surrounding structures to detect the early onset of coronary heart disease and reduce the need for high-risk surgical procedures.

Advanced Cardiac CT Exams

While CT uses X-ray technology, it is distinguished from other diagnostic imaging tools like traditional X-ray and MRI by its ability to display a combination of soft tissue (like muscles, tissue, organs and fat), bones and blood vessels all in a single image. Clinicians perform CT scans to diagnose kidney, lung, liver, spine, blood diseases, cancer, tumors and cysts, as well as blood clots, hemorrhages and infections.

During a CT exam, a patient lies on a table and is slowly moved into the large donut-shaped opening called the gantry. Once inside, a series of X-ray beams create hundreds of cross-sectional pictures that represent slices of the patient's body. Seconds later, the system's computer assembles the slices into three-dimensional images that are interpreted by a clinician.

A 64-slice CT scan requires no preparation except for an intravenous injection of contrast solution—and no recovery time. Patients can literally go shopping afterward. The machine produces exquisitely detailed, three-dimensional images of the heart that can be viewed from every angle.