Tag Archives: cardiac computed tomography

Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia with significant associated morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs.1 N-3 fatty acids may influence the risk of AF, but previous studies show conflicting evidence on whether N-3 fatty acids are pro- or anti-arrhythmogenic. Given the significant cardiovascular disease risk reduction associated with N-3 fatty acids, there has been interest in delineating their risk profile. In 2004, Mozaffarian et al. noted that increased dietary fish intake was associated with lower incidence of AF.2 Two separate studies suggested that higher levels of circulating long-chain N-3 fatty acid and doc

Development of cardiac computed tomography The concept of ‘computerised transverse axial scanning’ was first demonstrated by Godfrey Hounsfield nearly 30 years ago.1 Initial computed tomography (CT) scanners required up to 300 seconds for the acquisition of a single image. With such poor temporal resolution they were only suitable for imaging static structures such as the brain.2 The coronary arteries move throughout the cardiac cycle, although their velocity decreases in diastole.3 This underlies the concept of ‘gating’ the scan with the electrocardiogram (ECG), so that data are acquired preferentially during diastole.4 The advent o