Dear Cardiac Imaging Insider,
Enough papers have been written on CT coronary angiography (CCTA) to sink a China-bound cargo ship, but relatively few of them have addressed the subgroup of patients with signs of a life-threatening aortic rupture. These patients are as likely as anyone to have concurrent coronary artery stenosis, but evaluating the coronaries has typically required a separate imaging study and an extra dose of contrast and radiation as well.
But doctors in Beijing have succeeded in successfully scanning the anatomy in one fell swoop using wide-area, prospective ECG-gated coronary CTA that acquires the entire scan length prospectively in four or five volumes, sews them together digitally, and lays out the images almost seamlessly with a reasonable dose of radiation and contrast. Learn how the group performed their technique in 61 patients in an article you'll find here.
Another area where CT has received little attention is in cardiac evaluations after heart transplantation, when patients face risks of graft vasculopathy and diminished cardiac volumes and function that can appear years after successful surgery. Here, CT angiography can be as accurate as MRI for the detection of vasculopathy, and better than echocardiography, according to a study from Spain and Italy that you'll find here.
An unusual meeting in Moscow last week was aimed at training cardiologists to read imaging studies -- potential ingredients for a turf war, perhaps -- but characterized by its organizers as an essential learning tool for cardiologists who are dealing with more and more imaging studies. There has been less interspecialty cooperation between cardiologists and radiologists in Russia than in other countries, according to the article you'll find by clicking here.
Finally, as the 2012 Summer Olympics in London draw near, the problem of sudden cardiac deaths among highly trained athletes is drawing increased scrutiny. But as researchers zero in on the problem, they're finding big knowledge gaps, according to an article you'll find here.
Be sure to scroll through the links below to find the rest of the news in heart imaging -- all in your AuntMinnieEurope.com Cardiac Imaging Digital Community.
