New applications of cardiac computed tomography for evaluation of myocardial ischemia

Abstract
MSCT is known for its extremely high diagnostic accuracy in coronary artery stenosis detection and quantification. However, there are still questions about physiological assessment of myocardial ischemia, since the degree of arterial stenosis and clinical outcomes do not always correlate. It is also noted that the exclusive use of functional non-invasive tests to assess the grade of stenosis can lead to false-negative results and worsen the long-term prognosis of cardiovascular events. Thus, the combined use of anatomical and functional tests can improve the prognosis in coronary heart disease patient. MSCT coronary angiography, combined with stress perfusion and/or CT derived fractional flow reserve, could be used as an all-in-one approach. This review describes new applications of cardiac MSCT.