Use of coronary artery calcium and coronary tomography angiography in the evaluation of ischemic heart disease

Over the years, significant technological advances have been made in the field of cardiac CT imaging which has led to the widespread use of the modality in the evaluation of ischemic and structural heart disease. The advent of newer scanning techniques has led to a reduction in scanning time as well as a reduction in the radiation and contrast media dose required – making these scans both convenient and safer to perform. Research has shown that coronary CT angiography has a high negative predictive value in the evaluation of patients with coronary artery disease. There is more recent evidence that coronary CTA has a positive impact on clinical outcomes as well. In this review article, we discuss the clinical applications of coronary CTA in the evaluation of patients with stable ischemic heart disease, the most recent studies evaluating the efficacy and limitations of the modality, the role of coronary calcium in cardiovascular risk prediction in asymptomatic patients and the future applications of the modality.