Dear Cardiac Imaging Insider,
Coronary CT angiography (CTA) is proving to be highly adept at detecting coronary artery disease, anomalies, even incidental pathology outside the heart. And the more detector rows the merrier, European researchers recently reported.
So what constitutes appropriate use of this robust imaging exam that can, unfortunately, pack a radiation wallop?
At this stage of development, only a very few CTA indications -- such as atypical angina, acute chest pain, unclear nuclear studies, and preoperative assessment -- are well supported by the literature, and therefore recommended in appropriateness guidelines recently published under the auspices of the American College of Cardiology Foundation.
But more CTA indications are sure to emerge as the result of trials still under way. We get a sneak preview of one of them in this issue's Cardiac Imaging Insider Exclusive, brought to our subscribers before other AuntMinnie.com members can read it.
Researchers from University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands have begun a multicenter trial to examine the clinical utility of coronary CTA in asymptomatic patients with known peripheral vascular disease. What they've found so far has surprised them. You'll find the details, and a discussion of CTA appropriateness, in this issue's Insider Exclusive.
Be sure to scroll down for the latest news from the heart as well, in your Cardiac Imaging Digital Community.
