Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The current generation of 64-slice CT scanners has set the world of cardiac imaging on fire with its capabilities for coronary CT angiography. But what does the next generation of CT scanning hold in store?
Attendees at this week's American College of Cardiology meeting got a sneak peak at the future of cardiac CTA through a poster presentation displaying the latest research using a prototype 256-slice CT scanner under development in Japan. We're featuring an article on the presentation in our CT Digital Community this week.
Study presenters discussed the latest work on the system in scanning human patients, and reported that the scanner was capable of performing a complete whole-heart study in one heartbeat. The authors believe that a major advantage of the system could be lower radiation dose for CTA studies thanks to the faster imaging exam. Read all about the 256-slice scanner by clicking here.
In another article we're featuring in the community this week, Canadian researchers are using CT to assess the severity of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, the most common cause of late death among lung transplant patients.
By employing special software they developed that separates lung data from the surrounding chest wall and mediastinal structures, the researchers were able to detect early signs that the lung is rejecting the transplant -- in time for corrective measures to be taken.
Read all about it by clicking here, or for both stories visit our CT Digital Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
