Coronary computed tomographic angiography: current role in the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease

Advances in computed tomography (CT) technology allow images to be obtained with high spatial and temporal resolution. These features now permit noninvasive coronary CT angiography (CCTA). Many studies addressing proof of concept, feasibility, and clinical robustness have been published since CCTA was first described. More recently, the scientific evaluation of CCTA has rightly focused less on technical aspects and more on multicenter trials of the diagnostic value of CCTA and on head-to-head comparisons with other noninvasive modalities for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD), such as stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with radionuclides. Recent peer-reviewed publications that compare CCTA to invasive, selective coronary angiography (SCA) or MPI, or that address radiation protection issues related to CCTA, were reviewed and summarized. Overall, there is high agreement between CCTA and both SCA and MPI for the presence of CAD. However, CCTA can over- or underestimate the severity of CAD compared to SCA as a reference standard. Initial studies that compared CCTA to MPI found their accuracies for determining the presence of high-grade luminal obstructions comparable. Limitations of CCTA include inability to reliably assess the coronary artery lumen dimensions in patients with large amounts of coronary artery calcium, artifacts caused by coronary and respiratory motion, and the need for ionizing radiation and intravenous administration of iodinated contrast material. Various dose reduction methods for CCTA now exist that may substantially lower patient dose to levels less than those of SCA or MPI. Although current expert consensus does not call for CCTA to be a first-line test for CAD, particularly for screening in asymptomatic individuals, current data suggest a promising role in the evaluation of symptomatic patients for possible CAD.