Heart patients could stand a better chance of survival thanks to pioneering technology giving surgeons a 3D view of coronary arteries, which has just been tested on humans for the first time in the US.
At the moment, cardiologists use two-dimensional X-rays of arteries, shot from different angles. But new software allowing 3D could speed things up, and mean fewer images are needed, reducing radiation exposure. Equally, doctors will be able to assess with greater accuracy and speed the length, branching pattern and angles of heart arteries, as well as any blockages.
It’s still early days, but already this technology is stimulating interest in the medical community. A feasibility study, backed by Philips Healthcare, has been published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, an American Heart Association journal, but it’s still not known what impact it will have on clinical care.
The next step is further testing in multiple centres across the world.
The World Health Organisation estimates that heart disease kills 17 million people across the world every year.
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