CCTA provides a non-invasive alternative to traditional cardiac angiography for screening and diagnosing patients with a mild to moderate risk of heart attack (see risk criteria detailed below). It eliminates the need for catheterization - a far more invasive process - to deliver contrast to the heart so that blood vessels can be seen on an x-ray image. With CCTA, doctors can detect a multitude of problems that can lead to heart attack or stroke including:

• Blockages or narrowing of the blood vessels
• A tear in the layers of the blood vessel walls
• Blood clots
• Aneurysms or areas of weakness in the blood vessel walls that cause them to "balloon" out 

Both CCTA and traditional cardiac angiography have their advantages and drawbacks. CCTA produces images of unmatched quality and detail and eliminates the risks associated with having a catheter inserted and threaded through one's veins to the heart. The scan itself is fast (10-15 minutes) and patient recovery time is nearly half that of conventional angiography. On the downside, patients found to have blockages in their arteries after a CCTA scan would have to return another day for treatment using conventional angiography; whereas blockages can be treated on the spot when discovered during a traditional angiography exam.

Your doctor will weigh all the risks and benefits of CCTA versus conventional cardiac angiography to determine your suitability for CCTA. If you are 50 years old or older with a family history of heart disease and one or more of the following risk factors, you may be an appropriate candidate for CCTA:

• Current or former cigarette smoker
• Hypertension > 140/90mm Hg
• Elevated LDL (bad cholesterol) > 130mg/dl
• Low HDL (good cholesterol) < 40mg/dl
• Diabetes
• Documented coronary artery disease
• Have experienced an angina episode within the last 2-3 weeks
• Have experienced chest pain without any of the previously mentioned coronary artery risk factors