Clinical applications of computed tomography coronary angiography

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in western societies. The gold standard for the evaluation and diagnosis of coronary artery diseases is conventional angiography. However, its invasive nature and its potential risks for some rare but serious complications make it necessary to develop an alternative non-invasive diagnostic modality. Since the introduction of multidetector-row computed tomography (CT) systems, cardiac examinations have become one of the most popular applications of CT. Despite technical developments in CT, conventional angiography still remains superior with regard to improved temporal and spatial resolution; nonetheless, recent rapid achievements made in CT technology have considerably broadened diagnostic CT applications in coronary artery diseases. This article reviews the clinical applications of CT coronary angiography that have gained rapid and increasing utility in recent years.