Use of a Restricted Field of View Is Acceptable: The Pros and Cons of Searching for Extracardiac Findings at Cardiac CT

Radiology: Volume 261: Number 2-November 2011

Charles S. White, MD

Rapid advances in computed tomo­graphic (CT) technology, such as increasing detector coverage and improved spatial and faster temporal resolution, have facilitated the develop­ment of gated CT imaging of the heart, both for calcium scoring and coronary CT angiography (1). The cross-sectional nature of CT and the location of the heart in apposition to other anatomic regions, including the lungs, mediastinum, upper abdomen, and bones, necessitate that some portion of these structures be included when acquiring coronary CT angiographic images. Thus, diagnostic images are obtained even though they are not the focus of the examination. Imaging of these adjacent areas leads to the potential for visualizing inciden­tal findings that are not the intended target of the study yet may be clinically important.