Cardiac CT 

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and count to five. Now within five heartbeats, physicians at Sentara can rule out (or in) serious heart conditions using the region’s only 64-slice cardiac CT scanner, all without surgery or an invasive procedure.

5-Beat Cardiac™ CT
The GE LightSpeed VCT, the region’s fastest and most accurate cardiac CT scanner, is located at Sentara Heart Hospital's Advanced Imaging Center —  the area’s only dedicated heart imaging center. Sentara physicians gain complete images of the heart and surrounding arteries in just five seconds (or five heartbeats), providing clear views of the coronary arteries and the dangerous plaque within that can rupture and lead to a heart attack.

Previously, a look into the heart came during an invasive heart catheterization for a patient at high risk of heart disease. Now, using this state-of-the-art cardiac CT, thousands of crystal clear images of the heart and its vessels are possible for even unlikely heart patients. With the results from the cardiac CT, Sentara physicians have information to know almost instantly the cause of chest pain or shortness of breath.

Patients most likely to benefit from the new cardiac CT are those whose complaints might indicate heart disease but who are not showing the classic symptoms. Other ideal patients are those who have had a stress test that is either inconclusive or suspected inaccurate.