Revolutionary Cardiac Imaging Technology at CMG

Every year in America, approximately 6 million patients complain of chest pain, giving rise to more than 16 million cardiac tests. Camino Medical Group (CMG) is the first medical center in Northern California to offer a powerful new weapon against heart disease – a dual-source cardiac CT. This amazing imaging technology is helping doctors advance to a new era in cardiac diagnosis.

Under the leadership of cardiologist Robert C, Master, M.D., FACC, Camino Medical Group acquired this new cardiac CT imaging system for use at its new Mountain View center. This cutting-edge cardiac technology is capable of non-invasively (doesn’t require an incision) collecting images of the heart and coronary arteries in a matter of seconds.

"Coronary arteries are constantly moving rapidly. This new scanner is the fastest in the world, able to freeze cardiac motion and capture in high definition cardiac structure and function," explains Dr. Master. "Equipped with two X-ray sources and synchronized, rotating detector systems, it simultaneously captures images in half the time required with conventional technology. This allows some patients to avoid more invasive heart angiograms."

More than 20 CMG patients have already benefited from this scanner’s ability to visualize minuscule anatomical parts, such as the coronary arteries, with exceptional quality at lower X-ray doses than prior generation devices.

"It was easy and painless," said one of Dr. Master’s patients, who asked that his name not be shared. "I can tell you that it gave me and my wife a great sense of relief from the nagging concern that something could happen to my heart any day."

"This visualization of cardiac structure is just beginning to revolutionize the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, the most serious health problem in the developing world," Dr. Master says. "This is the first new diagnostic tool added to the cardiology diagnostic arsenal in the last 25 years."

Studies have already shown that this new technology is the most accurate non-invasive test available. Doctors can examine coronary bypasses and stented coronary arteries in remarkable detail, allowing them to see potential problems easily. One single test can measure cardiac function and illuminate other cardiac structures in precise anatomical detail. It is extremely useful in evaluating patients with chest pains, assessing the causes of heart dysfunction, and assessing congenital coronary artery problems.

"Standard cardiac stress tests and other noninvasive tests can sometimes yield ambiguous or mildly abnormal results," says Dr. Master. "This technique, if normal, is highly accurate in excluding coronary artery disease. It allows us to accurately assess the blood flow to the heart and quantify the plaque or deposits in the walls of the blood vessels. This just is not possible with other imaging tools."