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A 64-slice CT scan is a noninvasive procedure that evaluates heart health in patients with chest pain or shortness of breath. It produces real-time cross-sectional images of heart anatomy and blood flow, allowing for early diagnosis and intervention. The procedure has potential drawbacks, including exposure to ionizing radiation and high costs. However, it offers many types of useful information, including an anatomical and functional analysis and a calcium score. The contrast medium is given via an intravenous drip, and the procedure has a lower risk of infection and trauma to blood vessels compared to a standard catheter angiogram. The scan uses ionizing radiation, which increases the risk of cancer, so it is reserved for patients with signs of heart disease.
A 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scan is an X-ray test used to evaluate heart health in patients who have chest pain or shortness of breath. This rapid, noninvasive procedure allows for early diagnosis and intervention for heart patients. Similar to a standard CT scan, the 64-slice CT produces real-time cross-sectional images that detail heart anatomy and blood flow.
Unlike a standard angiogram, the very high-resolution slices of the 64-slice CT scan allow doctors to noninvasively assess the patency of heart blood vessels and the adequacy of blood flow or perfusion in the heart. The cardiac scan also provides many other types of useful information. It offers an anatomical analysis, useful for detecting congenital anomalies. Provides a functional assessment, which is useful for evaluating the pumping ability of the heart. It creates a calcium score, which gives an indication of the buildup in your arteries that can lead to a heart attack.
A 64-slice CT scan has several potential drawbacks that must be weighed against its benefits. The device exposes the patient to ionizing radiation and may cause a reaction to the contrast medium. The procedure can also be expensive – costs range from $750 to $1500.
Coronary arteries carry blood to the heart, and inadequate blood flow leads to a myocardial infarction or heart attack. Cardiologists order angiograms to determine if there is a dangerous constriction of the arteries from blood clots, cholesterol or calcium plaques. For the 64-slice CT scan, the contrast medium, which improves visualization of blood vessels, is given via an intravenous drip peripherally instead of being injected directly into the heart via a long catheter. Compared to a standard catheter angiogram, this procedure has a lower risk of infection, trauma to blood vessels, inadvertent embolization of blood clots into the circulation, and perforation.
While the length of the scan varies, the procedure usually only takes a few seconds. Patients typically wear hospital gowns during the test to prevent obstruction of X-rays from clips, buttons, or snaps on clothing. At the beginning of the 64-slice CT scan, the table moves through a series of scan positions. A donut-shaped portal or portal, which houses the X-ray generating tube, surrounds the patient during the exam and hums softly as the X-ray tube rotates within it. During the scan, the patient should remain still and hold their breath when instructed by the technician.
A 64-slice CT scan uses ionizing radiation to generate multiple images of a moving heart. The process incorporates a series of X-ray images captured from many directions around the body, merging them to create a three-dimensional image. The radiation exposure from these scans is relatively low, but any radiation increases your risk of cancer. For this reason, heart CT scans are reserved for those patients who show signs of heart disease and are not used for routine preventative scans.
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