A cardiac computed tomography (CT) scan is a procedure that utilizes multiple X-ray beams from different angles to acquire high-quality, three-dimensional (3D) images of your heart, along with your great vessels and surrounding structures.

Cardiac CT uses advanced CT technology, with or without intravenous (IV) contrast (dye) to better visualize your heart structure and associated blood vessels. With multi-slice scanning, your healthcare provider can get high-resolution, 3D images of your moving heart and great vessels.

What does a CT scan of the heart show?

Your healthcare provider will be able to see your:

• Coronary arteries that supply your heart.
• Heart chambers, muscle and valves.
• Pulmonary veins.
• Thoracic aorta, and sometimes abdominal aorta.
• Sac around your heart (pericardium).

A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray of your breast tissue. Healthcare providers use mammograms, or mammography, to look for early signs of breast cancer before symptoms develop. This is called a screening mammogram. Providers also use mammography to look for any abnormalities if you develop a new symptom, such as a lump, pain, nipple discharge or breast skin changes. This is called a diagnostic mammogram.

Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer that affects females and represents 15% of all new cancer diagnoses in the United States. An early diagnosis plays a big role in your breast cancer survival rate. Routine mammograms are key to catching breast cancer early. When breast cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate is 99%. Mammograms are the gold standard in detecting breast tissue changes before they turn into cancer.

What are the different types of mammograms?

There are two main types of mammograms:

• Digital mammography in 2D.
• Digital mammography in 3D (digital breast tomosynthesis).

2D mammograms

• 2D mammography involves taking pictures of each breast at two different angles — typically from top to bottom and side to side.

3D mammograms

• 3D mammography is a newer type of mammogram in which each breast is compressed once and a machine takes several X-rays as it moves in an arc over your breast. A computer then puts the images together in “slices,” which allows healthcare providers to see your breast tissues in 3D.