Jack51

Some great news for all of us with CAD, instead of relying on cardiac catheterization, we can now have a reliable scan to check our known blockages. According to Baylor University, they have imaging equipment, that can "see" blockages similar to the imaging done with the caths. Zip, I wonder if they can see inside the stents? I sure hope so.

Seems it's just a matter of time before they will be available everywhere, surely. In the future, when someone goes to the ER with chest pain, they can perform the new CT Coronary Angiogram, to check for coronary artery blockages. No more having to wait for echos, then stress test, then cardiac caths....Folks have died because the blockages haven't been found quickly enough to prevent a heart attack. You really had to have a good reason to have a cath, and only a cath could show the blockages for sure.

I posted this info in another post below, but thought maybe a new thread would be better. For me this is a dream come true. Maybe no more caths for me Here is the repeated info from the post below. Thank you again eeeee??? (forgot your screen name lol) :


Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital
New CT Coronary Angiogram

The new high-resolution scanner available at the Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital can produce images so detailed that blockages or plaques can be visualized just as in an invasive coronary angiogram.

In a brief outpatient procedure, physicians can use the scanner to acquire three-dimensional images of the area being studied. The CT coronary angiogram takes pictures of the blood flow within the arteries after a dye is injected into a peripheral vein. Compared to invasive coronary angiography which involves placement of a catheter in the groin or arm and injecting dye into an artery, this approach is more patient-friendly. In approximately 30 seconds, hundreds of pictures or “slices” of the artery are produced with one revolution of the camera.

CT angiography is most appropriate for patients who are at risk for developing cardiac disease. This can include patients who smoke, have high cholesterol, experience chest pain, or have a family history of cardiac disease.

The CT scanner also performs calcium scoring, allowing physicians to detect calcium buildup in the arteries. Unlike traditional CT and chest x-ray, which only show calcification, the new scanner can identify soft, non-calcified plaque. By identifying plaque at an early stage, aggressive preventive treatments may help stop the development of heart disease.

The CT angiogram may be used to rule out pulmonary embolism, identify aneurysms in the aorta or other major blood vessels, identify dissection in the aorta or its major branches, and detect narrowing or obstruction of arteries. In the future, physicians may also use the scan to monitor patients with previous bypass surgery or stent placement.

“The feasibility of non-invasive coronary artery imaging opens up the possibility of imaging patients earlier in the course of coronary artery disease when their condition may be more treatable,” said Kevin Wheelan, M.D.*, co-chief of cardiology and chief of staff at Baylor Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital.