The researchers reported that the pictures they saw of the heart's arteries compared well with those obtained by angiography and X-ray.

BBC: angiography300

The gold standard is X-ray angiography, in which a reflective dye is injected into the patient via catheter.

FORBES: Light It Up

When cardiac CT angiography is being used appropriately -- meaning, for example, in people with chest pain suggesting blocked heart arteries, rather than as a screening test for people with no symptoms of heart disease -- the benefits far outweigh the risk of the radiation, according to Einstein and Hausleiter.

CNN: Heart test can pack radioactive wallop

"Probably the group of centers which were studied in this paper are more sophisticated and more aware of radiation-reduction methods than your typical center that is performing cardiac CT angiography, " he says.

CNN: Heart test can pack radioactive wallop