Cardiac CT

Comprehensive cardiac CT combining a non-contrast coronary calcium score with contrast-enhanced CT coronary angiography in a single appointment — providing both a validated cardiovascular risk index and a detailed three-dimensional map of the coronary arteries.

The complete cardiac CT examination at Medimage SA integrates two sequential CT acquisitions — coronary calcium scoring and CT coronary angiography — into one appointment on the centre's latest-generation low-dose CT scanner. Together, these two stages deliver a more complete non-invasive picture of coronary artery health than either investigation can provide alone, and the combined approach is the standard protocol at specialist cardiac imaging centres across Switzerland and internationally. The first stage is the coronary calcium score. Performed without contrast agent, this brief low-dose scan quantifies calcified atherosclerotic deposits in the walls of the coronary arteries and converts the measurement into an Agatston score. A score of zero confers a very low 10-year cardiovascular event risk and may support the decision to defer pharmacological therapy. Intermediate scores highlight subclinical disease warranting preventive intervention, while high scores — particularly above 400 — signal advanced plaque burden that calls for urgent risk management and, typically, a direct move to the second stage. The second stage is CT coronary angiography. Iodine-based contrast dye is administered intravenously, and the scanner captures the coronary circulation during a single cardiac cycle to produce three-dimensional maps of each coronary artery. Any narrowing, soft plaque, mixed plaque, anomalous course, or other structural finding is identified, graded, and documented. This stage adds the anatomical detail that the calcium score alone cannot provide — specifically, whether any stenosis is haemodynamically significant and which segments are affected. The combination is clinically powerful because the two stages provide complementary information: - The calcium score quantifies total atherosclerotic burden and establishes the risk context. - The angiogram maps specific lesions to determine whether and where intervention might be needed. A high calcium score with no significant stenosis has a different management implication from a high score with a critical proximal left anterior descending stenosis. Conversely, a low calcium score with non-calcified soft plaques visible on angiography flags a risk that the score alone would have missed entirely. Medimage SA has provided specialist radiology services from its Champel location since 1973. The cardiac imaging team includes Dr. Monica Deac — a cardiologist with particular expertise in cardiac MRI — who brings cardiology perspective to the interpretation of cardiac CT findings alongside the radiology training of the other five specialist radiologists. This dual expertise mirrors the cardiac-focused structure of dedicated cardiac imaging centres while retaining the breadth of a full-service radiology department. The examination is performed on an outpatient basis; no hospitalisation or sedation is required. Patients are typically asked to avoid caffeine and nicotine for several hours beforehand; kidney function tests are required before contrast administration. The centre is accessible in central Geneva's Champel district, 2 km from the Old Town. Consultations are available Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00.