Computed tomography angiography: clinical applications in cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. Early detection and diagnosis are essential for improvement of treatment outcomes and patient management. Medical imaging plays an important role in this respect, and currently computed tomography (CT) angiography has been considered the preferred imaging modality due to the emergence of multislice CT and subsequent rapid technological developments over the past decades. The most threatening manifestations of cardiovascular disease are carotid artery stenosis, coronary artery disease, aortic dissection, aortic aneurysm, pulmonary embolism and peripheral arterial disease. This book chapter will provide an overview of the applications of CT angiography in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, with a focus on the diagnostic performance of CT angiography compared to invasive angiography.