A CT scan (also known as a computed tomography scan) is an advanced medical imaging technique that many physicians, including cardiologists, use for imaging the heart. It allows medical professionals to view the heart's structure and to look for abnormalities which may be contributing to cardiovascular problems.
Instructions
1. Identify the plane of the cut. In general, heart CT scans are taken as a cross section. This means, that the image will be taken as a horizontal cut through the chest (from the perspective of a person standing up). This will often be indicated in the notes accompanying the scan.
2. Orient the image. For a CT scan, the larger chambers of the heart are the ventricles and should be on the bottom of the scan. In addition, the left side of the heart will usually appear larger on a CT scan than the right side.
3. Identify the location of the cut. CT scan images will be taken at multiple levels, so it is important to identify where the image is from. Identifying the bicuspid and tricuspid valves or other major structures will help orient you as to the location of the image.
4. Find the major structures. Being able to identify the aorta, the superior and inferior vena cava, and the cardiac vessels will help orient you and give you an idea of the health of these vessels. Look for abnormal bulges or narrowing of these vessels, which can indicate cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. A coronary artery (one that supplies the heart with blood) that is too narrow can put a patient at risk for a heart attack.
5. Identify unusual areas. Area that are filled with liquid will be a bright white on a CT scan, and drier areas will be dark. Bright spots within a blood vessel wall can show indicate inflammation. Also look for abnormal growths, bulges, and thickened walls of the heart, which can be an indication of heart disease. Compare your heart CT scan with an anatomy textbook to help you identify any unusual structures.
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