Coronary CT Angiography

Coronary CT Angiography at Zwanger-Pesiri

If you're experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, have a family history of heart disease, or your physician wants a more detailed evaluation of your heart, Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) can provide a fast, noninvasive assessment of your coronary arteries.

At Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology, we combine decades of cardiac imaging expertise with the latest advanced technology to detect coronary artery disease earlier and more accurately. Our specialized cardiac imaging team was among the first on Long Island to perform Coronary CT Angiography and continues to lead the region in advanced cardiac CT imaging.

Unlike many imaging centers, Zwanger-Pesiri offers a comprehensive cardiac evaluation that can include Coronary Calcium Scoring, Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR-CT), and FDA-approved AI Soft Plaque Analysis—giving your physician a more complete picture of your heart health while potentially avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures.

Coronary CT Angiography exam

What is Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA)?

Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA) is a noninvasive cardiac CT scan that produces detailed, high-resolution 3D images of the coronary arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle. During the exam, intravenous contrast is administered to clearly visualize the arteries and detect narrowing, blockages, plaque buildup, or other abnormalities that may increase your risk of a heart attack.

Unlike many traditional cardiac tests that evaluate how the heart functions, a CCTA allows physicians to directly see the coronary arteries, making it one of the most effective tools for diagnosing coronary artery disease.

For many patients, a Coronary Calcium Score is performed along with the CCTA to measure calcified plaque, helping identify heart disease before symptoms develop and allowing physicians to recommend preventive treatment earlier.

Why Your Doctor May Recommend a CCTA

Your physician may recommend a Coronary CT Angiography if you:

  • Have received abnormal test results from another test such as an echocardiogram or stress test
  • Have chest pain or unexplained shortness of breath
  • Have abnormal results from a stress test or echocardiogram
  • Have high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure
  • Have a strong family history of coronary artery disease or early heart attack
  • Need evaluation of known coronary artery disease
  • Have new or worsening cardiac symptoms
  • Have previously undergone coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery
  • Need evaluation of congenital abnormalities of the coronary arteries

Early detection of coronary artery disease allows treatment to begin before a heart attack occurs, giving patients more options to protect their long-term heart health.

Fractional Flow Reserve

Zwanger-Pesiri offers Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR-CT), an advanced, noninvasive technology that can be added to your Coronary CT Angiography.

While a standard CCTA shows where plaque or narrowing exists, FFR-CT goes a step further by determining whether that narrowing is actually reducing blood flow to the heart muscle.

This additional information helps cardiologists:

  • Improve diagnostic accuracy
  • Better determine whether a blockage requires treatment
  • Reduce unnecessary cardiac catheterization
  • Develop more personalized treatment plans

AI Soft Plaque Analysis

Not all dangerous plaque contains calcium.

Zwanger-Pesiri also offers FDA-approved AI Soft Plaque Analysis, an innovative enhancement to CCTA that detects and measures soft, non-calcified plaque that may not appear on traditional calcium scoring exams.

Because soft plaque can be associated with future cardiac events, identifying it earlier provides physicians with valuable information for assessing cardiovascular risk and initiating preventive treatment before significant disease develops.

This advanced AI technology provides:

  • Earlier identification of coronary artery disease
  • More comprehensive plaque analysis
  • Improved cardiovascular risk assessment
  • Personalized treatment recommendations
  • Completely noninvasive evaluation

Frequently Asked Questions

24 hours prior to your exam, do not have any caffeinated or decaffeinated beverages or food including, energy drinks, coffee, tea, dark chocolate or diet pills.

For men, do not take Viagra or similar medications for 3 days prior to the exam.

Continue to take all your regular medications.

On the day of the exam, do not eat 1 hour prior.

Please leave all jewelry at home. Do not apply lotion to skin prior to exam.

Please be aware that sometimes it is necessary to take a medication called a betablocker to help lower your heart rate. If this occurs, you may be at the office for 1 hour or more.

During a CCTA, our nurse or technologist will direct you to lay down on the table of the CT machine and will then place electrodes on your chest, which records your heart’s electrical signals at rest.

We will then insert an IV line containing the contrast material through your arm or hand. As the table moves through the scanner it will take several images at different angles for precise imaging. You may be asked to hold your breath and remain still, as slight body movements may impact the quality of the imaging produced by the CT machine.

In certain conditions, you may be asked to take a medication to lower your heart rate prior to the procedure. These are commonly prescribed medications, such as beta blockers.

The procedure only takes minutes. Your results will be examined by a radiologist, a physician who interprets radiology exams and will discuss the findings with your doctor or cardiologist.