Coronary CT Angiography for PCI Planning and Guidance: A Comprehensive Narrative Review

TL;DR

This review explores how coronary CT angiography is becoming a key tool for planning and guiding heart procedures, offering detailed insights into artery blockages and improving treatment decisions.

Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive synthesis of current evidence and emerging technologies supporting the use of CT-guided PCI.

Findings

CCTA accurately characterizes plaque distribution and calcification with strong agreement to intravascular imaging.

CT-based measurements improve stent sizing and identification of high-risk bifurcation lesions.

CCTA outperforms angiographic scoring in CTO PCI by enhancing visualization of occlusion features.

Abstract

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is increasingly recognized as a comprehensive tool for planning percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). By integrating plaque morphology, calcium burden, and CT-derived coronary physiology, CCTA enables non-invasive assessment of lesion complexity and supports precision-guided revascularization. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on CT-guided PCI from original studies, registries, expert consensus documents, and international guideline recommendations. The literature was identified through PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar, focusing on CCTA-based plaque characterization, calcium assessment, bifurcation and ostial lesions, chronic total occlusions (CTO), FFR-CT, virtual PCI simulation, and fusion imaging. Particular attention was given to contemporary investigations such as SYNTAX III, P3, and the ongoing P4 trial. CCTA reliably characterizes stenosis severity, plaque distribution, and calcification, demonstrating strong concordance with intravascular imaging. CT-based measurements support accurate stent sizing, prediction of calcium modification requirements, and identification of high-risk features in bifurcation and ostial disease. In CTO PCI, CCTA enhances visualization of proximal cap morphology, occlusion length, tortuosity, and distal vessel quality, outperforming angiographic scoring systems. CT-derived physiology and virtual PCI planning improve lesion selection and allow prediction of post-PCI hemodynamics. Emerging technologies—including photon-counting CT, artificial intelligence-assisted plaque analysis, and CT–fluoroscopy fusion—further expand the applicability of CT-guided PCI. The ongoing P4 trial is expected to provide definitive validation of CT-guided PCI and may support its incorporation into routine clinical workflows.

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