Coronary computed tomographic angiography: A review of the techniques, protocols, pitfalls, and radiation dose.

Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) is a viable alternative to catheter coronary angiography for several clinical indications, chiefly because it is fast and non-invasive. For effective clinical use of CCTA, various technical and patient factors should be considered. In this brief review article, we discuss the indication and contraindications for CCTA, technical requirements for CCTA including radiation dose, patient preparation principles, image post-processing, and pitfalls and artifacts of CCTA.