What is CT Coronary Angiography?

CT Coronary Angiography, or CTA, is a highly sensitive and sophisticated imaging technique through the combination of a scanner with a CT and using contrast dye to visualize your coronary arteries. This procedure lets doctors know about any blockages in the heart’s blood vessels due to narrowing or abnormalities caused by blockages that can lead to heart problems. CTA is extremely helpful for diagnosing CAD in the patient who develops chest pain, shortness of breath, or other symptoms. In this regard, the more detailed images available in comparison to traditional coronary angiography enable the assessment of treatment with stents or bypass surgery for an arguably safer and more comfortable approach than traditional coronary angiography.

How CT Coronary Angiography Works:

1. Contrast dye is injected intravenously and outlines the coronary arteries on the images, allowing them to be quite evident.
2. Ask the patient to lie still on a CT scanner table and initiate the procedure.
3. The CT scanner makes a quick revolution around the chest to get detailed images from all angles of the heart and its blood vessels.
4. The image scanner scans high resolution cross sections, and then reconstructs into 3D visualizations of the coronary arteries.
5. The whole process usually takes a few minutes, creating detailed, well-defined images of the coronary vessels.
6. A cardiologist or radiologist studies the images and identifies any kind of blockages, narrowness, aneurysms, or other vascular anomalies.

Benefits of CT Coronary Angiography:

1. Non-invasive nature of the procedure minimizes the discomfort and prevents complications arising from invasive procedures such as catheter angiography.
2. Creates detailed and high-resolution images that help identify blockages and narrowings in the coronary arteries accurately.
3. Procedure is fast, a few minutes long, thereby making it an easy to use diagnostic tool, more so for patients who may be at high risk of complications.
4. Exposure to radiation is relatively lower compared to conventional coronary angiography.
5. Can identify coronary artery disease in asymptomatic patients, and so can help identify individuals at risk before more severe complications develop.
6. Helps the doctor determine the appropriate treatment approach: medical management, angioplasty, or bypass surgery, depending on the degree and site of blockages or anomalies.

Symptoms Indicating the Need for CT Coronary Angiography

CT Coronary Angiography is more often recommended when a patient presents with signs of coronary artery disease, even though the symptoms might not be severe. This condition can be described by signs such as chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, or irregular heartbeats. These symptoms may indicate possible blockages or abnormalities in the coronary arteries.  If the conventional tests such as stress tests or echocardiograms are not conclusive, CT coronary angiography would give a clearer view of the blood vessels of the heart, even conditions that might not appear in other imaging techniques.

Symptoms:

1. Chest pain or angina
2. Shortness of breath, especially during exercise
3. Feeling weak, tired or fatigued, especially during exercise
4. Dizziness or lightheadedness
5. Pain or discomfort in your arms, back, neck or jaw
6. Family history of heart disease or high cholesterol

Conditions Diagnosed with CT Coronary Angiography

CT Coronary Angiography is a highly sensitive diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of a variety of heart conditions, especially CAD as it is the most common cause of heart attacks. It is very sensitive in the determination of blockages, narrowing, and structural abnormalities within the coronary arteries. Detailed images obtained through CTA are useful for doctors to establish the severity of the disease and determine the appropriate therapy.

Conditions:

1. Coronary artery disease (CAD)
2. Blockages or narrowing of the coronary arteries
3. Coronary artery aneurysms
4. Dissection of coronary arteries
5. Anatomical defects in coronary arteries
6. Coronary artery-related anomalies in the valves of the heart.
   
   

• Test Type: CT Coronary Angiography
• Preparation:
• Wear a loose-fitting cloth
• Fasting required
• Carry Your ID Proof
• Prescription is mandatory for patients with a doctor’s sign, stamp, with DMC/HMC number; as per PC-PNDT Act
• Reports Time: With in 4-6 hours
• Test Price: Rs.7000

What is a CT Coronary Angiography?

A non-invasive imaging technique of CT scan that visualizes blood vessels in the heart. Any blockages or abnormal coronary arteries are detected during the procedure.

Is the CT Coronary Angiography safe?

Yes. A small amount of radiation occurs. It is performed by very careful medical supervision for a minimum risk.

What is the duration of this procedure?

The CT Coronary Angiography generally takes about 15 to 30 minutes. However, the preparation time varies with different patients.

Do I have to prepare myself for this scan?

The preparation includes fasting for several hours prior to the test. The doctor will let you know if there are other requirements to make sure the outcome is accurate.

Will I be in any pain during this procedure?

The process is mainly painless. You may have a warmth or slight ache from the contrast dye injected in the scan.