A CT scanner is used to take pictures of your heart
A computed tomography (CT) scan provides 3-D images of the body.
A cardiac CT scan allows doctors to see the anatomy of the heart and how it works. A cardiac CT angiography (CTA) provides accurate images of the coronary arteries.
- During a cardiac CTA, the person being scanned lies face up on a table that moves through a donut-shaped scanner. This scanner is a special type of x-ray machine.
A cardiac CTA is faster and less invasive than a traditional coronary angiogram.
Cardiac CTAs can provide information on:
- the presence of individual plaque and calcium deposits in the coronary arteries
- the severity of coronary artery disease
- the ejection fraction of the left ventricle (a measure of how well the heart pumps blood to the body
