Dear Cardiac Imaging Insider,
Absent compelling reasons to include the full cardiac cycle in your coronary CT angiography (CCTA) scans -- and there are some -- most CCTA studies should be performed with prospective electrocardiogram triggering, which confers a fraction of the radiation dose compared to retrospective triggering, according to a study appearing today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
The new analysis of the international PROTECTION III trial found that use of prospective axial scan mode not only cut dose by two-thirds, it left image quality unchanged and didn't lead to more scans down the road. Learn more in this issue's Insider Exclusive.
As noninvasive modalities such as cardiac MR and CCTA have gained in prominence, the heart societies decided it was time to clarify use of the gold standard, invasive catheter-based angiography, for assessing and addressing coronary artery disease. Last week a writing group representing all the major players published detailed criteria about the appropriate use of catheterization -- like when the probability of disease is too high for CT. Get the details by clicking here.
PET/CT is the way to go when postoperative infection is suspected in implanted cardiac devices. The PET part hones right in on the associated inflammation, according to an article by features editor Wayne Forrest that you'll find here.
Do cocaine users have a unique atherosclerotic plaque profile compared to others at risk of coronary artery disease? They might, says an intriguing article about a project from the Medical University of South Carolina; click here to learn more.
Finally, be sure to scroll through the links below for the best of the rest of the news from the heart, all in your Cardiac Imaging Digital Community.
