Minneapolis Heart Institute

Electron Beam CT (EBCT) operates at very fast speeds to freeze the motion of the heart, and gives radiologists and cardiologists the most accurate view of the coronary arteries.

Because the heart is in constant motion, fast imaging is necessary to produce clear, accurate results. EBCT in effect 'stops' the heart's motion to scan it and surrounding arteries to spot tiny deposits of hard plaque. A general idea of the amount of non-calcified, or “soft” plaque can only be seen with MSCT.

With EBCT, a rotating electron beam takes about 40 cross-sectional pictures of a patient's chest from which a 3-dimensional image of the heart is created in 1/10 of a second.

The small areas of hardened plaque viewed with EBCT represent solid cholesterol deposits in the arteries of the heart, and can be early warning signs of heart disease.

Standard stress testing can't detect plaque until it has narrowed the arteries of the heart by at least 50% - yet narrowing of only 30 to 50% is common in people who have had a heart attack. Therefore, the early detection of this plaque and possible heart disease is critical.

For an EBCT, there are no contrasts or medications given to slow your heart rate. The EBCT scanner is open on top, which helps patients who may have claustrophobia. It is not enclosed like an MRI. If you are claustrophobic, just make sure that you tell one of the staff members and we can help you throughout the test.

Three EKG patches are put on the patient's chest and a blood pressure is taken on the left arm. It is easier if patients wear short sleeves or very thin long-sleeve shirts to obtain blood pressures.