Tests and procedures

CT Coronary Angiography

An accurate and fast CT scan of the heart is acquired with intravenous contrast to show the coronary arteries on the surface of the heart. The coronary arteries that can be reviewed in many formats allowing a detailed and highly accurate assessment of the coronary arteries and any plaque that may be present within the arteries.

CT coronary angiography is now the primary investigation used to assess for coronary artery disease and many other cardiac abnormalities.

HeartFlow CT FFR

HeartFlow FFR is a secondary analysis that utilises the Coronary CT dataset and assesses whether blood flow within the coronary artery is compromised. The technique is designed to replicate technology used during invasive catheter angiography where pressure variations within the artery are measured in the resting and stress state. This is termed Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR). The routine use of HeartFlow FFR has been shown to significantly reduce the number of patients needing Invasive Catheter Angiography. HeartFlow FFR classifies whether coronary arteries with moderate narrowing may benefit from coronary stenting or whether medical treatment alone is sufficient.

CariHeart FAI

CariHeart FAI is an AI driven analytical tool that can be used as an adjunct to conventional interpretation of a CT coronary angiogram. This is a powerful predictive tool proven to detect even the earliest coronary changes, including prior to the development of overt plaque. The Fat Attenuation Index (FAI) is an indication of changes in the fat cells that surround the coronary arteries triggered by coronary artery inflammatory processes. The prediction of future cardiovascular events using CariHeart risk scoring has proved extremely powerful. This technique is a step change in understanding cardiovascular risk and a patient’s therapeutic targets.