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30 September 2026

Multimodal CT for Precision Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease: Integrating Anatomical and Functional Imaging

Xiaolei Diao1,2 ,  Wenjie Cai1 ,  Xianting Luo3 ,  Xiaoyong Zhu2 ,  Jianlong OuYang3 ,  Nuonan Li2,4 ,  Puhua Zhang2*
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1 School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
2 Department of Cardiology, Jiujiang University Affiliated Hospital, Jiujiang 332000, Jiangxi, China
3 Department of Imaging, Jiujiang University Affiliated Hospital, Jiujiang 332000, Jiangxi, China
4 Graduate Department, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, China.
CR 2026 , 4(3), 27–35; https://doi.org/10.26689/CR.v4i3.15532
© 2026 by the Author(s). Licensee: Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty Ltd, Australia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Precision diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) requires the integration of multidimensional data, including coronary anatomy and physiological function, for a comprehensive evaluation. This article reviews recent advances in multimodal computed tomography (CT) technologies for diagnosing CAD, analyzing their complementary strengths and limitations. In anatomical imaging, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) assesses the degree of coronary stenosis and plaque characteristics but has limited specificity in evaluating functional ischemia. Functional imaging methods, such as fractional flow reserve derived from CT (CT-FFR), which simulates coronary pressure changes using fluid dynamics, and computed tomography perfusion (CTP) for myocardial ischemia detection, significantly enhance the accuracy and reliability of functional evaluations in CAD. The synergistic use of multimodal CT technologies addresses the limitations inherent to single imaging modalities, reduces unnecessary invasive procedures, and optimizes revascularization decisions, facilitating hierarchical precision assessment from anatomical stenosis to functional ischemia.

Keywords
CAD
CCTA
CT-FFR
CTP
Funding
National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No.: 82260147, 82460170, 82360626 and 82560886), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (Project No.: 20224BAB206030, 20242BAB20370 and 20252BAC240556), Science and Technology Research Project of Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education (Project No.: GJJ2201920, GJJ2201941, GJJ2401806 and GJJ2401825)
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Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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