The recently formed Society of Atherosclerosis Imaging (SAI) plans to set standards for coronary artery calcium screening, the group announced at the American Heart Association conference last month. The SAI, which published practice guidelines for electron beam tomography (EBT) in the September 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology, will emphasize the critical importance of uniformly high-quality studies, irrespective of the technology employed.
The group said it would establish standards for data acquisition and analysis, as well as for quality. There are also plans to implement site certification, according to SAI president Dr. Harvey Hecht. Drs. Matthew Budoff, John Rumberger, and Warren Janowitz will lead the certification effort, Hecht said.
The SAI also announced the integration of new plaque imaging technology representatives into the society. MRI will be represented on the executive board by Drs. Valentin Fuster and Zahi Fayad, while intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) will be represented by Drs. Steven Nissen and Raimund Erbel.
The SAI has also finalized plans for its first international meeting to be held February 2-4 in San Diego. Chaired by Drs. Scott Grundy and Paolo Raggi, the conference will provide updates by world-renowned experts on electron beam tomography (EBT), IVUS, MRI, spiral CT, carotid ultrasound, brachial reactivity, lipids, and the epidemiology of prevention, according to the SAI.
December 13, 2000
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SAI defends electron beam tomography, July 5, 2000
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