Photon-counting detector coronary CT angiography: From bench to bedside

This PhD thesis investigated a new type of CT scanner technology (Photon-Counting Detector CT) and its potential to improve heart imaging. The research focused on how this technology could enhance coronary CT angiography, a non-invasive imaging method used to visualize the heart’s blood vessels. The work combined technical testing with early clinical studies to assess image quality and practical usefulness in patients. Across several studies, the thesis explored how higher image detail, improved material differentiation, faster image acquisition, and optimized contrast media injection strategies could lead to clearer visualization of coronary arteries, stents, and calcium deposits. The results showed that this new CT technology can produce more detailed and reliable images than current standard scanners. These improvements may allow doctors to better detect and assess heart disease, even in patients who are currently difficult to image. In the long term, this approach could reduce the need for invasive diagnostic procedures and support safer, more accurate heart disease diagnosis.