ABSTRACT
The diagnostic use of computed tomography (CT) is based on seminal developments in the field of physics during the 1970s. The basic concept of CT is the reconstruction of thin image slices from multiple projections obtained by rotating an X-ray source and detector system around the patient. The advantages of tomographic CT imaging are partially offset by the lower temporal resolution compared to e.g. angiography. Because of the rapid, constant motion of the heart during the cardiac cycle, long acquisition times increase cardiac motion artefact. The development of dedicated cardiovascular CT systems therefore required optimization of acquisition times and synchronization of imaging acquisition with the cardiac cycle.
