REVIEW  CARDIAC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THE DATA AND EVOLVING APPLICATIONS 

Minerva Cardioangiologica 2017 June;65(3):225-34

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4725.16.04272-9

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Triple rule-out cardiac computed tomography: is it finally a reality?

Regina, de la MORA CERVANTES ¹, Carole DENNIE ² ✉

¹ Department of Medical Imaging, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada; ² Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), pulmonary embolism and acute aortic syndrome are the most common causes of life threatening chest pain. The triple rule-out CT (TRO CT) has emerged as a technology that can simultaneously visualize the coronary arteries, aorta and pulmonary arteries as well as other intrathoracic structures. It has been proposed as a one-stop imaging modality in patients who present to the emergency department with low to intermediate risk of ACS in whom pulmonary embolism and/or acute aortic syndrome are also considered. This review focuses on the TRO CT imaging technique, image quality, radiation dose, diagnostic accuracy, yield, efficiency and cost through a series of frequently asked questions.

KEY WORDS: Cardiac-gated imaging techniques - Thorax - Coronary vessels - Chest pain - Pulmonary embolism - Emergency service, hospital