Computerised tomography coronary angiography

Abstract

In recent years advances in our understanding of coronary disease, risk stratification and technology developments in CT scanning have dramatically changed the way we investigate patients with suspected coronary artery disease. These developments have been refected in recent NICE guidance for the investigation of patients with new onset chest pain. These guidelines advise greater use of CT coronary angiography (CTCA) in low- to intermediate-risk patients and suggest there is no role for exercise tolerance testing in the assessment of patients with chest pain of uncertain origin. This article will describe the technique of CTCA and its use in the investigation of patients with suspected symptomatic coronary artery disease.