Case Report

Multislice computed tomography for comprehensive assessment of the heart in acute chest pain: a case report

Andreas H Mahnken^1,2* and Anil M Sinha^3,4

• * Corresponding author: Andreas H Mahnken mahnken@rad.rwth-aachen.de

Author Affiliations

¹ Department of Diagnostic Radiology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, D-52074 Aachen, Germany

² Applied Medical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 20, D-52074 Aachen, Germany

³ Medical Clinic I, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, D-52074 Aachen, Germany

⁴ Department of Cardiology, Coburg Hospital, Ketchendorfer Str. 33, D-96450 Coburg, Germany

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Cases Journal 2009, 2:178 doi:10.1186/1757-1626-2-178

Published: 31 October 2009

Abstract

Introduction

Over the last decade cardiac computed tomography emerged as a non-invasive imaging modality for the assessment of the heart and the coronary arteries. Only recently its use for patient management in the emergency department was suggested.

Case Presentation

We present an 84-year old male patient with concomitant early in-stent restenosis after coronary artery stent placement, myocardial infarction, left and right ventricular thrombi and aortic valve stenosis. Diagnoses were made on emergency cardiac computed tomography. All findings were confirmed by catheter coronary angiography, echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonce imaging.

Conclusion

The comprehensive emergency work-up by cardiac computed tomography, illustrates the potential value of cardiac computed tomography in the emergency setting.