CT demonstration of cardiac structures.

Cross-sectional cardiac anatomy was studied by computed tomography (CT) in normal patients and in patients with well documented cardiac pathology. Specific cardiac chambers, aortic and pulmonary artery enlargement, ventricular aneurysms, coronary artery, and intracardiac calcifications were demonstrated using a 3 sec scan time with and without intravenous iodinated contrast media. Although CT imaging of the heart is in its infancy, the clarity with which cardiac chambers and other structures were visualized is encouraging and suggests the potential value of CT scanning for detecting significant intracardiac pathology on routine thoracic CT scans.