Cardiac computed tomography: current practice and future applications.

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has continued to make great strikes in cardiovascular imaging. New advances and refinements in technology have enable CT to render astonishingly detailed images. Cardiac CT depends on a high temporal resolutions to minimize coronary artery movement-related motion artifacts. There is ongoing debate as to the position of CT in the algorithm of diagnostic imaging in the realm of the cardiovascular sciences. There is a definite role for cardiac CT in patients with chest pain who have low or intermediate probability of coronary artery disease; a negative result on cardiac CT angiography could potentially exclude significant coronary artery disease and thus obviate further expensive workup. Further advancements in technique and validation of results will help establish CT on firmer ground. Such developments should proceed in tandem with reimbursement practices that encourage use of this tool in the right clinical context.