Multislice Computed Tomography in the Exclusion of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Presurgical Valve Disease

Abstract

In the preoperative assessment of patients with predominant VHD, the diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice CTA for ruling out the presence of significant coronary artery disease is very good even when including patients with irregular heart rhythm. Using this approach, CAC quantification before CTA can be successfully used to identify patients who should be referred directly to XA, sparing unnecessary exposure to radiation.