The introduction of multislice computed tomography in 1998 represented a breakthrough of CT technology in cardiac imaging. For the first time, widely available CT systems can be used for non-invasive, angiographic assessment of the heart and the coronary arteries. This book presents and discusses the technical concepts, the potential spectrum of applications and the future perspectives of multislice CT in cardiac imaging based on the experience of internationally leading clinical institutions.

Cardiac diseases and in particular coronary artery disease are the leading cause of death and morbidity in the industrialized countries. The development of reliable cardiac imaging techniques is considered a key issue in improving patient care. This book presents and discusses the technical concepts, the potential spectrum of applications and the future perspectives of multi-slice CT in cardiac imaging. The discussion is based on the experience of internationally leading clinical institutions. It shows that this new modality has the potential to become an important and robust tool for non-invasive and early diagnosis of cardiac diseases.

1 Motivation.- 2 Introduction.- 3 Overview of Multi-slice CT Technology.- 4 Technical Principles of Cardiac Image Acquisition.- 5 Clinical Application and Evaluation.- 6 Future Technical Developments.- 7 Summary and Conclusion.- References.