CIVA - The Cardiovascular Specialists - Diagnostic Tests



CIVA Physicians
Jack W. Spitzberg, MD, FACC Charles B. Levin, MD, FACC Martin R. Berk, MD, FACC Tony S. Das, MD, FACC Kenneth E. Saland, MD, FACC Brian D. Lé, MD, FACC Tulika Jain, MD, FACC
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CT Diagnostic Scanning

From left: CIVA physicians Kenneth Saland, Tulika Jain and Martin Berk

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

CIVA's new state-of-the-art Heart and Vascular 64-slice CT scanner enables our doctors to noninvasively explore the body quickly and at high resolution. This technology is a tremendous aid in diagnosing and reduces the amount of time required for patients to undergo critical tests.

A CT scan is a diagnostic test that uses X-rays to allow images of the body to be made. CT stands for “computed tomography.” CT scans use an X-ray machine that rotates around the patient who lies on a table. The table moves the patient through the X-ray machine. Instead of X-ray film, however, a detector that works somewhat like a digital camera detector relays the information to a computer. The computer takes the information from the detector and creates a picture of the organ and surrounding structures that is displayed on a computer screen.

Prints of these pictures may be made in much the same way that digital pictures from a digital camera or the pictures can be viewed on a screen or printed on film. The pictures are slices of the body, much like a slice of bread is one part of the whole loaf. These “slices” are called tomograms; and since the computer makes the slices, each picture is called a computed tomograph.

WHAT TO EXPECT

CTA is a painless medical evaluation that takes about 15 to 30 minutes. The CT Scanner is a machine with a hole in the center around which the imaging technology is housed. You will be asked to lie down on your back while the scanner slides back and forth.

To create a clearer internal view, a contrast medium or dye is injected through an IV in the arm. The injection may sting slightly, cause a momentary feeling of being warm or flushed, and often leave a metallic taste. ECG electrodes are positioned on your chest to synchronize the scanner to your heart rate. You will be asked to hold your breath for a few seconds and during each scan to allow optimal image quality.

Each time the scanner completes one 360-degree rotation, one thin section or slice of the image is taken and your body is advanced slightly to take another image. These individual sections or slices are reassembled via computer to create a three dimensional image.

CT RISKS

CT uses X-rays, which expose the body to radiation. The radiation doses are small, but cell damage may occur which could increase one's risk of developing cancer.

You may be unsuited for a CT scan if you:

Are pregnant
Have an allergy to contrast dye
Have unstable vital signs; or
Are claustrophobic
Are nursing (Patients who are nursing should stop breastfeeding for 24 hours post-CTA.)

Other possible complications are:

Allergic reaction to the contrast dye
Kidney failure from the dye injection

POST-TEST GUIDELINES

You may resume normal activities and diet immediately following CT scanning. Please continue to drink fluids following the procedure. It's important that you arrange for a ride home.

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS

Patients having CT Scans are at risk for the following complications:

Allergic reaction to the contrast dye; and
Acute kidney failure from the dye injection

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How to prepare for your CT test.

Please avoid solid foods for about 4 hours before the procedure.
You may have clear liquids, such as juice or clear broth.
Hydrate before the test to decrease the likelihood of kidney failure, a potential complication from contrast dye.
You will usually be given a medication to take before the procedure to slow the heart rate.

Heart and Vascular 64-Slice CT Scanner

Because the heart is constantly moving, the CT scans that are used to take pictures of the heart must be fast, meaning that they can take stopaction pictures of the heart much like a camera can take a stop-action photo of a fastmoving object. Our 64-slice CT scanner is the fastest available today.

One of most promising applications of CT scans for the heart is that it enables us to take pictures of the coronary arteries without the need, in some cases, for an invasive procedure such as a heart catheterization.

CT technology can be applied to any organ, determining viability of tissue or ruling out conditions in a matter of seconds. This speed is especially valuable in treating emergency room patients with chest pain or stroke symptoms.

A CT Angiography can tell you not only about the calcium load in your arteries, a known predictor of risk for a heart attack, but also about the presence of plaque which may cause narrowing of the arteries, reducing blood supply to the heart muscle which could potentially lead to a heart attack.

See more about the CT Scanner.