The CT Angiogram is the latest in cardiac technological developments. Through new GE Lightspeed technology, with 64 bit computer processing, we are now for the first time able to perform an angiogram of the heart arteries without significantly invading the body!
What does it mean, and why is it important?
For years the gold standard for evaluating disease or plaque in the arteries of the heart, called coronary arteries, has been the angiogram. To do an angiogram, you are taken into an operating room at the hospital. An incision is made in your groin and a very long, approximately 36 inch catheter, is inserted into your groin up your aorta and into the heart arteries. Under x-ray fluoroscopy the doctor injects dyes through the catheter into your heart arteries and then takes Cine pictures. These pictures show plaque or blockage of the arteries and we can get an exact measurement of whether your arteries are completely open, 20% blocked, 50% blocked, 80% blocked, 95% blocked. Once an artery is over 90% blocked, there is significant risk for an immediate heart attack.
Because the traditional angiogram of this type is obviously very invasive and quite expensive, we have never been able to do this in a routine fashion.
