Eric Williamson, MD, MSCCT, the president of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and professor of radiology at Mayo Clinic, explains the rapid rise of interest in cardiac CT imaging following its inclusion as a top recommendation in the ACC 2021 Chest Pain Evaluation Guidelines.
The guidelines, released in the fall of 2021, gave cardiac CT the highest 1A recommendation as a front-line imaging modality to evaluate patients presenting with chest pain. While some hospitals were already using CT in emergency departments (ED) for triage, a large number of new centers are now looking too begin more comprehensive cardiac CT angiography (CTA) programs since the recommendations were announced.
Because of this wave of new interest, SCCT is working to create a new website called the SCCT Starter Kit. It will provide materials, resources and advice to centers looking to create or expand their cardiac CT programs.
Williamson is associate chair for radiology informatics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and supervises the radiology artificial intelligence program at Mayo. He is the former division chair of cardiovascular radiology and medical director of CT operations at Mayo Clinic. He also serves as co-director of Mayo Clinic's structural heart disease imaging lab.
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Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com