Methods and apparatus for scout-based cardiac calcification scoring

A CT imaging system for obtaining images of a patient's heart suitable for calcification scoring, the heart having a cardiac cycle;

• said system configured to:
• acquire data representative of a first scout-scanned CT image of physical locations of the patient's body including at least a portion of the patient's heart at phases φ1(L) of the cardiac cycle;
• acquire data representative of a second scout-scanned CT image of the physical locations of the patient's body including at least a portion of the patient's heart at phases φ2(L) of the cardiac cycle different from φ1(L);
• and
• determine a difference image from the acquired data representative of the first scout-scanned CT image and the acquired data representative of the second scout scanned CT image data.

A method for facilitating calcification scoring, said method comprising:

• imaging a heart at a first phase of a cardiac cycle to obtain a first image;
• imaging the heart at a second phase of the cardiac cycle to obtain a second image, wherein the second phase is different from the first phase, and wherein the first and second images are obtained at the same physical location in a single scan;
• determining a difference image using the first and second images;
• identifying calcification deposits on portions of the difference image that correspond to moving body structures of the patient;
• and
• performing calcification scoring based on the difference image.