Cardiac diagnostic imaging

Purpose: Cardiac imaging includes determination of the size and structure of the cardiac chambers, valves, great vessels and the coronary arteries, chamber and valvular function, myocardial perfusion, viability and metabolism. Material and methods: Chest roentgenography, angiography, echocardiography and nuclear imaging are commonly used but computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging also offer a promising potential. Results: Coronary angiography is the gold standard in assessing coronary anatomy. Fast CT technologies such as electron-beam and multi-row-CT are promising non-invasive imaging modalities in the assessment of coronary artery disease. With intravascular ultrasound early stages of coronary atherosclerosis can be detected. For the assessment of myocardial perfusion and viability as well as cardiac function, scintigraphic methods are widely accepted. However, MRI methods have also reached a high degree of accuracy. Evaluation of chamber and valvular function is, due to its wide availability, the field of echocardiography. (orig.)