ABSTRACT
Evaluation of the coronary arteries is challenging due to their complex anatomy and their small dimensions, in combination with their constant rapid motion during the cardiac cycle. High spatial and temporal resolution is therefore a prerequisite for every imaging modality that attempts coronary artery visualization. Furthermore, image acquisition must be synchronized to the cardiac cycle to provide contiguous cross-sectional imaging, since otherwise – if adjacent images are acquired in different phases – gaps may occur. Therefore, data acquisition must be either triggered by the patient´s electrocardiogram or, in the case of continuous acquisition of X-ray data, image reconstruction must be synchronized to the simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram (EKG). In addition, in order to avoid breathing artifacts, computed tomography (CT) scanners have to provide for sufficiently fast volume coverage to image the complete heart in one single breathhold.
