Tag Archives: computed tomography (CT)

Epidemiology King George II “On 25 October 1760 George II, then 76, rose at his normal hour of 6 AM, called as usual for his chocolate, and repaired to the closet-stool. The German valet de chambre heard a noise, memorably described as ‘louder than the royal wind’, and then a groan; he ran in and found the King lying on the floor, having cut his face in falling. Mr Andrews, surgeon of the household, was called and bled his Majesty but in vain, as no sign of life was observed from the time of his fall. At necropsy the next day Dr Nicholls, physician to his late Majesty, found the pericardium distended with a pint of coagulated blood,

Introduction Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.1 Thus, early diagnosis is crucial to introducing immunosuppressive therapy that could prevent an adverse outcome.2 This focused review will discuss the pathology of CS, when to suspect and evaluate CS, and highlight the roles of advanced imaging modalities, i.e. cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose/computed tomography (CT) scan (18F-FDG-PET/CT), and their diagnostic and prognostic values in CS in the current content of guidelines for the diagnostic workflow of CS.3 Epidemiology and

Introduction Computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography (CTCA) is the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended1 first-line investigation for patients with typical or atypical chest pain who have no previous diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The clinical utility of this imaging modality is underpinned by its excellent sensitivity (99%) and negative-predictive value (97%) for CAD.2 However, CTCA lacks specificity for clinically significant CAD.3,4 CTCA overestimates occlusive plaque disease, with less than half of severe stenoses causing ischaemia.3 This has led to concerns that a CTCA approach alone, wh

Introduction Due to the asymmetry of the heart, it has long been described in what is known as the ‘Valentine’ position, in which the heart is oriented vertically downwards. It defines the heart as a solitary organ and provides no reference point for its location within the chest. This description has since been found to be inaccurate, as we know the heart is positioned in a direction extending from the right shoulder to the left hypochondrium. The in vivo orientation of the heart takes into account its surrounding bony structures and is the best definition of true anatomical heart position.1,2 Figure 1. Pathway of cardiac electrical acti