Clinical applications of cardiac computed tomography: a consensus paper of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging-part II

Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2022 Mar 22;23(4):e136-e161. doi: 10.1093/ehjci/jeab292.

Abstract

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) was initially developed as a non-invasive diagnostic tool to detect and quantify coronary stenosis. Thanks to the rapid technological development, cardiac CT has become a comprehensive imaging modality which offers anatomical and functional information to guide patient management. This is the second of two complementary documents endorsed by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging aiming to give updated indications on the appropriate use of cardiac CT in different clinical scenarios. In this article, emerging CT technologies and biomarkers, such as CT-derived fractional flow reserve, perfusion imaging, and pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation, are described. In addition, the role of cardiac CT in the evaluation of atherosclerotic plaque, cardiomyopathies, structural heart disease, and congenital heart disease is revised.

Keywords: CT perfusion imaging; FFRCT; artificial intelligence; cardiac computed tomography; cardiomyopathy; coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA); fractional flow reserve; myocardial ischaemia; plaque imaging; radiomics; structural heart disease.

MeSH terms

  • Computed Tomography Angiography / methods
  • Consensus
  • Coronary Angiography / methods
  • Coronary Artery Disease* / diagnostic imaging
  • Coronary Stenosis*
  • Coronary Vessels
  • Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial*
  • Humans
  • Predictive Value of Tests