Coronary CTA (also called CT coronary angiography) is a new diagnostic imaging procedure that is giving doctors a clearer picture of the heart and allowing them to better manage heart disease. Coronary CTA allows doctors to study the inside of tiny heart vessels, without going inside the heart, to determine if either fatty deposits or calcium deposits have built up in the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle.

How does the exam work?
The technologist will inject a non-toxic contrast into your vein. You will then be positioned on the bed of the CT scanner, which measures when the contrast will reach your heart vessels. When the contrast is in the heart vessels, the CT scanner takes thousands of pictures of your heart. The scanner then puts the pictures back together to form a complete picture of your heart.

This picture can be broken down to show only the arteries, muscle, or veins. This reconstruction allows the radiologist to see if you have a blockage of an artery that is causing you to have a heart attack. In a matter of minutes, you can know if your chest pain is a heart attack or indigestion. In fact, because the coronary CTA scans your entire chest, the test can be used to check for several different problems.