Louisville patients with suspected heart disease now have access to a new kind of scanner that Norton Heart & Vascular Institute says is the first of its kind in Kentucky. The photon-counting CT technology is designed to produce clearer images of the arteries feeding the heart, potentially catching blockages before they turn into emergencies.
According to Norton Healthcare, the Norton Heart & Vascular Institute introduced the scanner as part of a broader expansion of access to coronary CT angiography across its hospital network. The scan is a noninvasive test that uses CT imaging combined with an injected dye to look for plaque buildup and blocked arteries, which the health system identifies as common causes of heart disease and heart attacks. Norton describes coronary CT angiography on its own services page as a medical test that combines a CT scan with injection of a special dye through an IV line to produce images of blood vessels and tissue in the heart.
Sharper Images for Patients Who Were Hard to Scan Before
Norton says the new technology can help determine whether chest pain or shortness of breath may be related to heart disease, and can detect narrowing or blockages in the arteries before they cause serious problems. Patients who previously might have needed a more invasive cardiac catheterization-lab procedure may now be candidates for the noninvasive scan instead, per the health system's report.
The scanner is also designed to reduce image distortion caused by normal movement during the scan and to provide clearer images for patients whose conditions have historically made imaging harder to read, including those with significant arterial calcium buildup, coronary stents or higher body weight. That aligns with how photon-counting CT works more broadly: Duke Health, which has used the technology, says it tracks and categorizes individual photons based on their energy, which helps the scanner clearly differentiate between contrast dye and calcification in clogged arteries. Duke has described its own scanner as one of only four available in North America at the time it was introduced.
A New Referral Pathway for Primary Care
Tara Mudd, system vice president of Norton Heart & Vascular Institute, said the technology expands access to a noninvasive diagnostic option and helps patients get answers faster. Primary care providers can now order coronary CT angiography through a new referral order process, and patients do not need to see a cardiologist first to get the scan, though a physician referral is still required. Patients may schedule a follow-up cardiologist appointment afterward if one is needed.
Mudd said the expanded access gives primary care providers another tool to evaluate potential cardiac symptoms and is aimed at connecting patients to care sooner. The scanners are being made available at Norton Hospital, Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital, Norton Women's & Children's Hospital, Norton Clark Hospital and the Springs location, according to the health system.
Part of a Broader Shift in Cardiac Imaging
Norton's own provider guidance notes that coronary CT angiography is increasingly used as a diagnostic tool, even as stress testing continues to play an important role in evaluating chest pain, according to Norton Healthcare Provider. Other health systems have moved in a similar direction. The NCH Rooney Heart Institute in Florida said it installed a Siemens NAEOTOM Alpha.Peak photon-counting CT scanner in December 2025, calling it one of the first such systems in the country and making it available for cardiac imaging, coronary CT angiography and AI-driven risk assessment, per South Florida Hospital News.
Early research into the technology has pointed to potential image-quality gains, though the available evidence remains limited. A first-in-human study published in Radiology reported improved image-quality assessments with photon-counting CT for calcification, stents and noncalcified plaque. A separate study in the same journal found that ultrahigh-resolution photon-counting coronary CT angiography provided high diagnostic accuracy in detecting coronary artery disease in a high-risk population that included patients with severe coronary calcification. A systematic review of in vivo human studies also pointed to one small prospective study showing improved image quality and diagnostic confidence compared with energy-integrating dual-layer CT, at a lower radiation dose.
