Breaking down barriers to heart CT scans

Published: 25 June 2026

Cardiologist and Heart Foundation grant recipient Dr Phil Adamson is working to bring faster, less invasive heart scans to more New Zealanders. Historically, access to cardiac CT scans has been limited, but that's now changing.

Over the past decade, rapid advances in CT (computed tomography) scans of the heart have transformed how accurately clinicians diagnose heart disease without surgery, saving time and reducing stress for patients. 

Historically, there hasn't been widespread access to cardiac CT scans in New Zealand. Now that's changing thanks in part to Dr Phil Adamson, a Consultant Cardiologist at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury and Associate Professor at the University of Otago Christchurch. 

“CT is a really important part of cardiac assessment for many patients today. Improved access to faster, more accurate scans around the country will help us ensure that New Zealanders receive the right care in a more timely fashion,” says Heart Foundation Medical Director Dr Gerry Devlin.  

In 2014, Phil received a Heart Foundation Overseas Training and Research Fellowship to complete the first year of his PhD in Scotland. He spent the next 6 years training at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and gained experience in cutting-edge heart imaging techniques. Then, in 2019, a Heart Foundation Senior Fellowship and Project Grant encouraged him to bring his extensive international expertise back to New Zealand. 

In the face of long waitlists nationwide for cardiac CT scans, Phil and a group of colleagues launched several initiatives to increase capacity across New Zealand. 

One such initiative has seen the creation of a regional outreach model, where patients can be scanned in small or remote locations, with images sent back to specialist centres to be read. This model is now successfully operating on the West Coast, with the scans read by the specialist team in Christchurch – a model that could be replicated elsewhere across the country. 

Yet even as access to heart scans improves, another bottleneck remains. Interpreting heart CT images is a specialised skill, and not all cardiologists or radiologists have been trained to read these scans. 

As a result, Phil and his colleagues have taken steps to upskill New Zealand clinicians. 

“We’ve worked hard to grow the capacity for reading cardiac CT scans, and when I returned to New Zealand we set up the first dedicated cardiac CT training course, which we now run annually,” says Phil. 

His ultimate goal is for all cardiology trainees and radiology trainees to attend one. 

Mentoring the next generation of cardiologists and researchers is an important part of Phil’s work. He’s currently supporting Christchurch cardiologist and researcher, Dr Charlotte Greer, who has been awarded a Heart Foundation Senior Fellowship.  

Charlotte is investigating how a revolutionary heart imaging technology could help doctors detect heart disease earlier and more accurately than ever before. Photon-counting CT scanners produce ultra-high-resolution images of the heart and reveal fine details that traditional CT scans often miss. This reduces the need for multiple scans or invasive tests and could transform how heart disease is diagnosed and treated across New Zealand.  

Dr Gerry Devlin says CT imaging has become central to precision medicine and allows us to see the heart in extraordinary detail. “The work of Phil and his team is having a significant impact on how we diagnose and treat people with heart disease.

“Nurturing a pipeline of future talent in New Zealand, like Phil and Charlotte, is essential, as well as encouraging a breadth of international expertise and evidence to inform how we diagnose and treat people with heart disease. Academic cardiologists like Phil and Charlotte are an asset to New Zealand.”  

The Heart Foundation Senior Fellowship allowed Phil to continue his involvement in groundbreaking international trials. Recent results from the DUAL-ACS trial have the potential to impact future guidelines internationally and have already changed the way that Christchurch Hospital treats heart attack patients. 

From making a difference locally to helping inform guidelines globally, Phil is humble about his work and research. “I’m grateful to the Heart Foundation for being very supportive of what I’ve been able to achieve so far. 

“Access to centres of excellence internationally is really key for clinical training,” he adds. “It’s important to see there are other ways of doing things and it enables clinicians to get exposure to the best techniques from different places.”