Technologies Diagnose Coronary
Artery Disease in One Heartbeat
ATLANTA, GA, March 14, 2006 -- As a growing number of Americans are diagnosed with
heart conditions each year, it is becoming increasingly important that new heart-specific
diagnostic technologies are developed that are easier and more effective than previous standards.
Emerging technologies to diagnose heart disease and a more systematic way to predict the longterm
success of cardiac procedures are among the topics of studies presented today at the
American College of Cardiology’s inaugural Innovation in Intervention: the i2 Summit 2006.
Innovation in Intervention: i2 Summit is an annual meeting for practicing cardiovascular
interventionalists sponsored by the American College of Cardiology in partnership with the
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.
One-Beat Whole Heart Imaging Using the 2nd Spec 256-Multislice CT: First Clinical Data
(Abstract 2914-117)
The 2nd Spec 256-Multislice CT scanner (computed tomography) represents the next
generation of CT scanners to assess coronary artery health and cardiac anatomy and function.
The diagnostic tool is designed to non-invasively determine whether significant coronary artery
disease is present, completing the whole heart scan in 1.5 seconds without gating and table
movement, using the wider coverage of the CT scanner. For comparison, the commonly used
64-slice CT scanner takes approximately 10 seconds to complete a diagnostic scan of the heart.
A team of researchers at Ehime University School of Medicine in Japan tested the
efficacy of the 256-Multislice CT on two patients, both of whom had previously experienced
heart attacks, and determined they could clearly and effectively evaluate the damage from the
patients’ past heart attacks. By injecting a contrast solution into each patient, researchers were
able to see two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of the heart to assess coronary and
cardiac function. Coronary artery structure was evaluated, as was the function of the left
ventricle, the main pumping chamber of the heart. The volume of blood moved during the
heart’s diastolic (filling) and systolic (emptying) cycles was determined, and ejection fraction, or
pumping capacity, was obtained.
"The 2nd Spec 256-Multislice CT seems to be a promising next generation CT for
coronary and cardiac imaging," said Akira Kurata, M.D., Ph.D., of Ehime University School of
Medicine and lead author of the study. "We are pleased by the speed of the procedure which
allows us to assess patients ‘with just one beat of the heart.’"
Source: American College of Cardiology |
