Current and Evolving Clinical Applications of Multidetector Cardiac CT in Assessment of Structural Heart Disease

Abstract

Multidetector computed tomography (CT) has an established role in the evaluation of selected patients suspected of having coronary disease; however, in addition to coronary assessment, multidetector CT can be used to evaluate numerous noncoronary structures in the same examination. In particular, the use of multidetector CT to provide pulmonary and cardiac venous anatomic information prior to electrophysiology procedures is well established, and its important role in the periprocedural evaluation of patients undergoing percutaneous procedures, such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement and left atrial appendage device occlusion, is being increasingly recognized. Such advances have resulted in multidetector CT being increasingly used as a complementary imaging technique to echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging for the comprehensive evaluation of cardiac structure and function in particular clinical situations. This review provides an overview of the noncoronary cardiac structures that can be evaluated with multidetector CT, and outlines the established appropriate clinical uses of multidetector CT in the assessment of structural heart disease, as well as evolving periprocedural clinical applications.