Imaging of the Heart by ECG-Oriented Reconstruction from Subsecond Spiral CT Scans

Coronary artery desease is one of the most important causes of death in western countries. This explains the high demand for noninvasive imaging techniques for the heart. X-ray based techniques, in addition to magnetic resonance and ultrasound imaging, remain important as only they are able to image and, potentially, to quantify coronary calcification. Fluoroscopy, conventional computed tomography (CT), spiral CT, and electron-beam CT have not yet become fully established; fluoroscopy fails to detect small amounts of calcium, conventional CT is not able to scan the volume of interest adequately during a single breathhold, and electron-beam CT systems are seldom available due to their high cost.