Superior CT coronary angiography image quality at lower radiation exposure with second generation 320-detector row CT in patients with elevated heart rate: a comparison with first generation 320-detector row CT

Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is an established non-invasive imaging tool in assessing coronary artery disease (1). It is particularly useful for the exclusion of coronary artery disease because of its established high sensitivity and negative predictive value (2,3). Recently it has been shown to be a useful modality to assess patients with low to intermediate risk of suspected acute coronary syndromes presenting to the emergency department (4,5). To minimize radiation exposure, recent advances include the advent use of wide-detector scanners such as the 320 detector row scanner which has a 16 cm cranial-caudal coverage (6) and allows for acquisition of the whole coronary artery tree in one gantry rotation over less than one heartbeat (3,7)