Dual Source CT has a promising future in assessing myocardial blood pool in addition to the coronary artery morphology, leading insight to the significance of stenotic lesions on cardiac function. The CT first-pass enhancement approach in combination with the new Dual Energy (DE) Heart Perfused Blood Volume (PBV) application allows to take cardiac CT with one scan beyond quantitative and functional analysis (see AuntMinnie article below).

On the right: Corresponding SPECT image showing good correlation. Courtesy of: Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA

This new CT application is of importance for the assessment of total myocardial infarct size and the treatment decision especially in an acute care situation. A time consuming MRI or SPECT perfusion study can often not be performed here. These new and convincing results have been presented by Joseph Schöpf, MD, and the researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). (see AuntMinnie article below)

To further improve the first-pass-enhancement myocardial CT, Siemens developed the new syngo Dual Energy Heart PBV application, which will be available with the DSCT in Q3/2008 (syngo CT2008G). Now, in a single scan you can characterize lesions, as well as performing myocardial blood-pool imaging to determine whether any of those lesions can cause a significant stenosis – for example, a blood-pool defect in the myocardium. This enables the cardiologist to plan appropriate therapeutic strategies more reliably and more quickly.

On the left: Short axis Dual Energy CT reconstructions through the left ventricle show corresponding inferior myocardial ischemia in good correlation with SPECT. Courtesy of: Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA