by Oliver Gaemperli, Pál Maurovich- Horvat, Koen Nieman, Gianluca Pontone, Francesca Pugliese

Since its clinical introduction almost 20 years ago, cardiac CT has been embraced as an indispensable noninvasive cardiac imaging modality and an important first-line test for coronary artery disease. Beyond coronary artery disease, the potential of cardiac CT has become evident for diagnosis and guidance of treatment in a variety of other cardiac pathologies, including valvular disease, atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias, endocarditis, cardiac masses, cardiomyopathies, and others.

The European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) has declared as one of their foremost priorities to facilitate education and training in cardiovascular CT through teaching courses, congresses, and a structured certification program. This handbook represents an important step towards dissemination of skills and knowledge in cardiovascular CT. It is a concise and practical companion, to benefit students, trainees or advanced users; cardiologists, radiologists, cardiac surgeons or technicians, in their everyday practice.

Four broad sections cover technical aspects and physical background, coronary indications (e.g. coronary CT angiography, atherosclerosis imaging, stents & bypasses, functional CT imaging, etc.), non-coronary indications (CT for valve disease, infective endocarditis, CT of the left atrium, congenital heart disease, cardiac masses, extracardiac findings, etc.), and finally training and competence in cardiac CT. The handbook features short chapters, enriched with illustrations, tables and condensed summaries, facilitating rapid and intuitive access.