CT Angiography and Cardiovascular Disease Characterization

Targeted CE per ARRT’s Discipline, Category, and Subcategory classification for enrollments starting after February 24, 2023:
[Note: Discipline-specific Targeted CE credits may be less than the total Category A credits approved for this course.]

Cardiac-Interventional Radiography: 1.50
Patient Care: 0.25
Patient Interactions and Management: 0.25
Procedures: 1.25
Diagnostic and Electrophysiology Procedures: 0.50
Interventional Procedures: 0.75

Computed Tomography: 3.00
Safety: 0.25
Radiation Safety and Dose: 0.25
Image Production: 0.50
Image Formation: 0.25
Image Evaluation and Archiving: 0.25
Procedures: 2.25
Head, Spine, and Musculoskeletal: 0.50
Neck and Chest: 1.50
Abdomen and Pelvis: 0.25

Magnetic Resonance Imaging: 0.50
Procedures: 0.50
Musculoskeletal: 0.50

Nuclear Medicine Technology: 0.25
Procedures: 0.25
Cardiac Procedures: 0.25

Registered Radiologist Assistant: 2.50
Safety: 0.25
Patient Safety, Radiation Protection, and Equipment Operation: 0.25
Procedures: 2.25
Thoracic Section: 1.50
Neurological, Vascular, and Lymphatic Sections: 0.75

Vascular-Interventional Radiography: 0.50
Patient Care: 0.25
Patient Interactions and Management: 0.25
Procedures: 0.25
Vascular Interventional Procedures: 0.25

Outline

1. Introduction
2. Emergence of CT Angiography
3. Computers and Image Processing
4. Contributions of CT Angiography to Clinical Practice
5. Acute Aortic Syndromes: New Knowledge Redefining Disease Classification
6. Peripheral Vascular Disease: Pushing the Envelope for CT Angiography Coverage and Visualization
7. Endovascular Aortic Repair
   1. Wave 1: Aortic Endograft Deployment
   2. Wave 2: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
8. CT Angiography of Coronary Artery Disease: The Final Frontier
   1. Myocardial Perfusion
   2. Estimating Lesion-Specific Ischemia from Resting CT Angiography
9. Concerns for Radiation
10. Summary

Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will:

1. identify the strengths of conventional angiography
2. recognize the significance of the introduction of helical CT
3. identify the limitations of early helical CT systems
4. be familiar with the CT advancements that expanded the clinical application of CT angiography
5. recognize the current standards for state-of-the-art CT systems
6. be familiar with AAS
7. understand the CT advancements that led to reclassification of AAS
8. be familiar with PAU
9. identify the CT FOV for anatomic coverage for adult lower extremity imaging
10. understand the role of MRI angiography
11. identify the commonly used methods for diagnosing PAD in the lower extremity
12. be familiar with the advantages of CT angiography vs. MRI angiography
13. understand the advantages of using dual-energy CT systems
14. identify the demands on preoperative imaging for stent-graft replacement
15. be familiar with the use of MRI to detect endoleaks
16. be familiar with the TAVR procedure
17. understand the primary cause of paravalvular regurgitation using the TAVR approach
18. identify the use of ECG-triggering and ECG-gated tube current pulse to lower radiation exposure
19. be familiar with the radiation levels using low-radiation-dose CT techniques
20. understand the role of CT angiography in the ER setting
21. understand the performance characteristics of coronary CT angiography
22. be familiar with the current limitation of using myocardial attenuation patterns to assess myocardial perfusion
23. compare the advantages of using FFTCT
24. identify the use of iterative reconstruction techniques to lower radiation exposure