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News & Press: News

At the heart of it – SCCT2024 in DC to foster growing cardiac CT imaging community

Thursday, March 28, 2024   (0 Comments)
Posted by: Jessica Frizen
Arlington, VA (March 29, 2024) — The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) received near-record breaking submissions of abstracts to its 19th Annual Scientific Meeting, SCCT2024, scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., from July 18 to 21, 2024.

Succeeding the society’s two largest-attended Global and Annual Scientific Meetings, SCCT2024 will provide practical tools to support the exponential rise in the global utilization of cardiovascular CT, according to Annual Scientific Meeting Program Committee Chair Maros Ferencik, MD, PhD, MCR, MSCCT.

“SCCT2024 promises to be an unparalleled event, uniting the brightest minds in cardiovascular CT to explore the current state, celebrate achievements and envision the future of this dynamic field,” Dr. Ferencik said. “We’re excited to bridge the growing CCT community with the latest updates and best abstracts from more than 200 invited speakers practicing all around the globe.”

According to a press release from The Business Research Company, the CT scanners devices and equipment market surged within the last year and is predicted to have continued strong growth in the next few years. The article cites a rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases as a market driver.

Additionally, a recent report from the 2024 ACC Cardiovascular Summit states a ‘CT first’ strategy is the best way to appropriately determine if stable chest pain patients need revascularization. First Author Markus Scherer, MD, said that transitioning to this strategy should be “a high priority for cardiovascular care providers” in a press release statement.

“This recognition of CCT in recent years has propelled the modality into the forefront of cardiovascular care,” Dr. Ferencik said. “The committee saw this unprecedented growth on the horizon and created a program line-up that will foster this evolving and diverse community.”

For example, he said, a new program called India Presents will feature abstracts throughout the conference from authors representing the Indian subcontinent, as well as a special session on Friday, July 19 of the collection’s top-scoring presentations.

Dr. Ferencik also pointed to new collaborations with partner imaging societies – including joint sessions with the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography Interventions (SCAI) and the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) – as ways of engaging a varied audience and expanding its horizons with novel perspectives during SCCT2024.

“For me, it was really great to work with over 20 excellent people [on the organizing committee] who came to the table with their ideas, topics and proposals for talks, and invited the best speakers we could find all over the world to present in Washington, D.C."

Cutting-edge developments and future frontiers

With the four perennial SCCT awards recognizing innovators and pioneers of the cardiac imaging field paired with a new way of presenting Best Abstracts, “the best works within the field will be presented in-person during the meeting,” Dr. Ferencik said.

Topics will range from general overviews to state-of-the-art research and expert discussions to the latest practice guidelines and innovations on the horizon. Meant to serve as a complete overview of the cardiovascular CT field, the full program will cover areas of interest for all professional levels, according to Dr. Ferencik. 

“We will have three sessions on case reviews throughout the program, including coronary, structural and adult congenital heart disease,” he explained. “So, we will focus a little more on the practical, case-based learning that is always in demand from our participants.”

He said another highly anticipated part of the program is the various tracks for personalized learning, including Games & Debates, Technologists, Guidelines & Trials, Fundamentals in Cardiovascular CT, Technical Aspects of Cardiac CT, Structural Heart Disease and Congenital Heart Disease (CHD).

New programming around CHD specifically invites attendees to join the conversation with subject matter experts as interest in this area grows. The CHD Forum will be a half-day didactic course on Thursday, July 18 to provide a deeper dive into aspects of the new and evolving field, while the Adult Congenital Roundtable | Career paths in CHD CT will provide a brown bag lunchtime panel discussion on Friday, July 19 at noon.

The future of cardiovascular CT is inseparable from the transformative influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, another available track during the meeting.

Former President Todd C. Villines, MD, MSCCT, said that AI is going to fundamentally “change every aspect of cardiovascular imaging, specifically cardiovascular CT” during an interview with members of the SCCT FiRST Committee at last year’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

“As far as guiding therapy, I think what we have seen at this meeting and we’ve seen repeatedly in publications is that it’s allowing us to identify and quantify things that currently we're leaving on the cutting room floor – meaning we can see them but can't quantify them – and we're not therefore able to translate that to patient care,” Dr. Villines explained. “But I think as a field, taking it one step further on a systems level is when AI is really going to help us improve care.”

SCCT2024 will showcase cutting-edge research and innovations in this rapidly evolving landscape, exploring the synergies between CCT and AI. In addition to sessions within its track, the AI/ML Workshop on Thursday, July 18 seeks to further appraise the current gaps in clinical care in the realm of coronary artery disease, prevention and valvular heart disease through AI/ML solutions. World leading experts in CCT, AI and data science will present these topics in a small-group format for health care leaders and physicians as well as trainees and early career professionals. 

More specialty and pre-program sessions include:

  • Aortic and mitral intervention: Procedural planning workshop – July 17 - 18 
  • CTA Academy: Cardiac CT in routine clinical – July 17 - 18
  • Tricuspid, pulmonic and LAAO workshop – July 18
  • Technologist hands-on workshop – July 20

Dr. Ferencik notes that networking and the social aspect of SCCT2024 can be just as important as the scientific sessions, connecting a global audience and providing a platform for professionals to share their experiences and insights into the widespread integration of CCT.

Social events include:

  • Women in CT Reception – July 18, 6pm
  • Opening Reception – July 19, 6pm
  • Saturday Social at Swingers Golf – July 20, 7:30pm

While Dr. Ferencik said he’s looking forward to the social aspect of the meeting – reconnecting with acquaintances and meeting new colleagues – he admits that he might be most enthusiastic for a little friendly competition with last year’s record-breaking attendance numbers and the man behind its success as SCCT2023 program chair. 

“And what I look forward to is beating SCCT President Ed Nicol’s attendance record and having more than 1,000 participants in 2024. So please, come to Washington, D.C." he joked.

Key highlights of SCCT2024 include:

  • Comprehensive Educational Tracks: Renowned speakers will lead sessions covering a spectrum of topics, from fundamental principles to advanced applications of cardiovascular computed tomography.
  • International Perspectives: A global forum for attendees to share experiences, challenges, and success stories, fostering international collaboration in the cardiovascular CT community.
  • Innovations in AI: Showcasing groundbreaking research and advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning applied to cardiovascular computed tomography.
  • Networking Opportunities: Engage with leading experts, build professional connections, and forge collaborations that will shape the future of cardiovascular imaging.

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About the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

Founded in 2005, the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) is the international professional society devoted to improving health outcomes through effective use of cardiovascular computed tomography (CCT). SCCT is a community of physicians, scientists and technologists from over 85 countries advocating for access, research, education and clinical excellence in the use of CCT. For more information, please visit SCCT.org.

About the 19th Annual Scientific Meeting of SCCT (SCCT2024) 

SCCT2024 – the preeminent meeting focused on cardiovascular CT – will be held July 18 - 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. The SCCT Annual Scientific Meeting is designed to engage physicians, trainees, technologists and healthcare professionals in a complete overview of the cardiovascular CT field. Planned sessions are targeted for all levels, from new practitioners to experienced providers. Sessions range from general overviews to state-of-the-art research and expert discussions. For more information, please visit www.SCCT.org/SCCT2024.

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