Cardiac Computed Tomography

Computed tomography (CT) has emerged in the past decade as an important tool in the evaluation of cardiac pathology, specifically in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). This article will review the technique and role of CT and CT angiography (CTA) in modern cardiovascular care. CT techniques are described, as are the applications of CT in the assessment of CAD including both calcium scoring and CTA. Although CAD is the mainstay of cardiac CT, important noncoronary cardiac applications including the evaluation of cardiac function, masses, valvular disease, and pericardial disease, are reviewed as well. The nursing care of the patient undergoing CTA is reviewed as are future developments within this field.