Going into detail on what this term means and how it relates to health guidelines. This article may be incomplete.
Cardiac CTA, short for Cardiac CT Angiography, is a non-invasive imaging test that uses advanced x-ray technology to visualize the heart blood vessels. During a Cardiac CTA procedure, a contrast dye is injected into a vein in the patient's arm to make the blood vessels of the heart visible on the CT images. The CT scanner then rapidly takes multiple X-ray images of the heart from different angles, creating detailed cross-sectional images of the heart and its blood vessels.
Cardiac CTA is commonly used to evaluate the presence of blockages or narrowing in the coronary arteries, which can indicate coronary artery disease. It can also help diagnose other heart conditions such as congenital heart defects, aneurysms, and pulmonary embolism. Cardiac CTA is a valuable tool for assessing chest pain in emergency situations, as it can quickly rule out acute coronary syndromes and guide appropriate treatment decisions.
Overall, Cardiac CTA is a safe and effective imaging modality for evaluating heart health without the need for invasive procedures. It provides detailed information about the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels, helping healthcare providers make accurate diagnoses and treatment plans for various cardiac conditions.