Cardiac CT

During a cardiac CT scan, the x-ray machine will move around your body in a circle. The machine will take a picture of each part of your heart. A computer can put the pictures together to make a three-dimensional (3D) picture of the whole heart.

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What To Expect Before Cardiac CT

Your doctor will tell you how to prepare for the cardiac CT scan. People usually are asked to avoid drinks that contain caffeine before the test. Normally, you're allowed to drink water, but you're asked not to eat for 4 hours before the scan.

If you take medicine for diabetes, talk with your doctor about whether you'll need to change how you take it on the day of your cardiac CT scan.

Tell your doctor whether you:

Are pregnant or may be pregnant. Even though cardiac CT uses a low radiation dose, you shouldn't have the scan if you're pregnant. The x rays may harm the fetus.

Have asthma or kidney problems or are allergic to any medicines, iodine, and/or shellfish. These problems may increase your chance of having an allergic reaction to the contrast dye that's sometimes used during cardiac CT.

A technician will ask you to remove your clothes above the waist and wear a hospital gown. You also will be asked to remove any jewelry from around your neck or chest.

Taking pictures of the heart can be hard because the heart is always beating (in motion). A slower heart rate will help produce better quality pictures.

If you don't have asthma, COPD or heart failure, your doctor may give you a medicine called a beta blocker to help slow your heart rate. The medicine will be given by mouth or injected into a vein.

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What To Expect During Cardiac CT

The cardiac CT scan will take place in a hospital or outpatient office. A doctor who has experience with CT scanning will supervise the test.

Your doctor may want to use an iodine-based dye (contrast) during the cardiac CT scan. If so, a needle connected to an intravenous (IV) line will be put in a vein in your hand or arm.

The contrast dye will be injected through the IV during the scan. You may have a warm feeling when this happens. The dye will highlight your blood vessels on the CT scan pictures.

The technician who runs the cardiac CT scanner will clean areas of your chest and apply sticky patches called electrodes. The patches are attached to an EKG machine to record your heart's electrical activity during the scan.

The CT scanner is a large machine that has a hollow, circular tube in the middle. You will lie on your back on a sliding table. The table can move up and down, and it goes inside the tunnel-like machine.

The table will slowly slide into the opening in the machine. Inside the scanner, an x-ray tube moves around your body to take pictures of different parts of your heart. A computer will put the pictures together to make a three-dimensional (3D) picture of the whole heart.

The technician controls the CT scanner from the next room. He or she can see you through a glass window and talk to you through a speaker.

Moving your body can cause the pictures to blur. You'll be asked to lie still and hold your breath for short periods, while each picture is taken.

A cardiac CT scan usually takes about 15 minutes to complete. However, it can take more than an hour to get ready for the test and for the medicine to slow your heart rate enough.

What To Expect After Cardiac CT

After the cardiac CT scan is done, you'll be able to return to your normal activities. A doctor who has experience with CT will provide your doctor with the results of your scan. Your doctor will discuss the findings with you.