New cardio-CT in the Fulda Clinic: Revolution for heart investigations!

The Fulda Clinic has put a new cardio CT into operation. This offers a safe and pain-free alternative to invasive cardiac catheter examination and represents an important progress in cardiac medicine. The coronary heart disease (KHK), which affects around five million people in Germany, is one of the main causes of heart attacks. An early diagnosis can help to stop the course of the disease and prevent complications.

The new cardio-CT enables precise diagnoses of heart diseases and provides detailed images of the coronary arteries. While the preferred method remains in the case of acute circulatory disorders, according to cardiological guidelines, the cardio-CT is considered the preferred method for detection and exclusion of a chronic coronary heart disease. The device creates 320 thin sections of the heart in just 0.12 seconds and is equipped with techniques for improvement in image and reduction in dose, including artificial intelligence (AI), which supports the implementation of the examination and evaluation of the images.

advantages and areas of application of the cardio-CT

Patient comfort is increased by an open design with an 80 cm wide opening. During the examination, a small amount of iodine -containing contrast medium is used to make the blood vessels visible. The patients have to stop briefly during the image absorption. The heart rate should usually be below 65 strokes per minute, which is often achieved with beta blockers. The cardio CT examination is fast, precise and painless and is used particularly in the case of breast pain, shortness of breath, risk factors or striking preliminary examinations. Open coronary arteries can make a cardiac catheter examination superfluous. In addition, the X-ray dose of the cardio-CT is lower than in a cardiac catheter examination, whereby there are some restrictions in the evaluation with irregular heartbeat or strongly calcified vessels.

The intensive cooperation between the radiological and cardiological clinics in the Fulda Clinic is supplemented by interdisciplinary conferences in which complex cases are discussed.

A current study, published in the journal The BMJ, shows that computer tomography (CT) can provide a reliable diagnosis like a cardiac catheter in certain cases. The international research cooperation, which analyzed data from 65 studies with over 5,300 patients, found that the CT is suitable as a gentle method, especially at a low to medium probability for KHK. The general probability for coronary heart disease is determined on the basis of factors such as age, gender and the type of breast pain.

In summary, CT technology could lead to less invasive interventions necessary. It must be taken into account that cardiac catheter examinations are invasive and risks and complications bring with them. Of the 880,000 annual cardiac catheter examinations in Germany, 58% did not require a vascular expansion. The results of this study are intended to help doctors choose the appropriate diagnostic method and possibly lead to more uniform medical guidelines, such as Fuldaer Zeitung href = "https://www.mtdialog.de/news/artikel/wann-eine-ct-statt-einzkatheters-aussagekraftig-ist"> mtdialog supplemented.