Cardiac MRI

Though the latest generation of 64-slice CT scanners often excels, the technology is still not good enough for practitioners to confidently assess in-stent restenosis, according to Dr. Stephan Achenbach, a professor of medicine at the University of Erlangen in Germany.

Noninvasive cardiac imaging is gaining widespread acceptance. Both CT and MRI can determine the absence or presence of coronary artery disease accurately and reliably. This is done by either assessing the coronary artery morphology or by offering detailed insight into functional aspects and myocardial perfusion.

Not all those who suffer heart attacks have typical symptoms. Many people, including the elderly, those with renal disease, and women, are at risk of having a silent myocardial infarction. People with diabetes, in particular, are among those at highest risk of experiencing a silent MI. Now there is a clinical MRI technique that can identify abnormal myocardium, which signifies a high-risk profile, in diabetic patients.

The American College of Cardiology-backed Task Force on Clinical Competence will extend a certification deadline by two years, enabling more physicians to qualify to perform and interpret cardiac CT.

An analysis of available data on ionizing radiation effects suggests that 64-slice coronary CT angiography scans put young women at a greater risk of developing cancer later in life than any other patient, according to a study in the July 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Though the latest generation of 64-slice CT scanners often excels, the technology is still not good enough to confidently assess in-stent restenosis, according to Dr. Stephan Achenbach, a professor of medicine at the University of Erlangen in Germany.

Echocardiography is already widely accepted as a diagnostic test for infective endocarditis, but now researchers have proven it’s also a cost-effective option. Making decisions about early surgery for patients with significant stroke risk based on echocardiographic findings is ultimately more economical than standard care.

The future of cardiovascular imaging will hinge more on personalized medicine than on technological developments, according to Dr. J. Jeffrey Carr, who spoke Friday at the 2007 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography meeting in Washington, DC.

Multislice CT evaluations of coronary artery stenosis can calculate the risk of heart-related death for patients with recently diagnosed coronary artery disease. Results are at least as reliable as those presented by conventional myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging.

Eighteen months ago, Dr. David Dowe of Atlantic Medical Imaging in New Jersey was attending a lecture by Dr. Jack Ziffer of Miami Baptist on the challenges of chest pain workups in the emergency setting.

Because of the great potential of cardiac CT angiography for the future of cardiovascular disease diagnosis and management, many physicians have shown an interest in developing expertise in cardiac CT. A number of radiologists and cardiologists have received training in cardiac CT, and many more are planning to obtain such training.

The rapid evolution of cardiac CT has created a compelling need for imagers to fully understand cardiac anatomy as well as the best methods for imaging it.

Researchers are still learning from myocardial perfusion misregistration issues with hybrid SPECT and multislice CT systems. But fusing information acquired on separate scanners using special software seems a practical, clinically useful alternative for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

If ever a generation has been obsessed with aging, it's the baby-boom generation. Thirty years' worth of fads in exercise, diets, fashion, and personal grooming have all been directed at slowing the aging process or hiding its effects. Well, boomers can run (or jog, or bike, or yoga), but they won't be able to hide from what radiologists may soon be able to tell about the age of their insides.

The differing interests of clinical and basic science researchers are apparent in the work of the finalists for Young Investigator Awards at this year’s ISMRM/ESMRMB meeting.

The differing interests of clinical and basic science researchers are apparent in the work of the finalists for Young Investigator Awards at this year’s ISMRM/ESMRMB meeting.

A review of the current literature reveals a difference of opinion regarding whether to screen diabetic patients with CT and an inherent flaw with hybrid SPECT/CT scanners resulting in misregistered images. Researchers also optimized a contrast protocol for the triple rule-out procedure and advise echo studies when mitral valve calcification is found on chest CT.

The advent of 64-slice and dual-source CT has undoubtedly been welcomed by cardiovascular imaging experts. The systems' rapid rotation speeds and high-volume coverage have made it far easier to attain quality images of the beating heart and coronary arteries.

Not all those who suffer heart attacks have typical symptoms. Many people, including the elderly, those with renal disease, and women, are at risk of having a silent myocardial infarction.

Attempting to separate fact from fiction, medical physicist Cynthia H. McCollough, Ph.D., gave context to a notorious newspaper report about the dangers of CT with news of innovative equipment performance features that help radiologists keep patient dose under control.

Recently published studies reflect the versatility of cardiac MR, multislice CT, rubidium-82 PET/CT, and stress echocardiography for shedding diagnostic light on various aspects of coronary artery disease and other cardiac conditions.

A SPECT imaging protocol that detects programmed cell death with technetium-99m annexin A5 may give clinicians an early warning of worsening heart failure.

Concerns about the danger of thrombosis resulting from the use of drug-eluting stents, combined with confidence in the safety of bare metal stents, have driven down the use of drug-eluting stents substantially over the past year, according to Volcano Corporation. That’s bad news for the makers of drug-eluting stents but good news for the makers of intravascular ultrasound systems. The top executive at Volcano reports a surge in the sale of the systems.

Evidence long suggested that mortality rates from heart disease tend to be lower in countries where siestas are common. However, studies did not control for other risk factors such as diet, physical activity, and age.

Heart failure is a common disorder with high morbidity and mortality. It is the only major cardiovascular disease whose prevalence and incidence are not only on the increase but predicted to reach epidemic proportions.

Not all those who suffer heart attacks have typical symptoms. Many people, including the elderly, those with renal disease, and women, are at risk of having a silent myocardial infarction. People with diabetes, in particular, are among those at highest risk of experiencing a silent MI.

March was a month of notable progress for cardiac MR, with studies demonstrating the impressive prognostic power of adenosine stress perfusion and dobutamine stress wall motion imaging. The combination was nearly perfect in identifying patients who would be safe from cardiac death or myocardial infarction for at least three years. Recent cardiac imaging studies also affirm fusion imaging’s value for diagnosing coronary artery disease.

The combined functional and morphological approach to imaging afforded by PET/CT and SPECT/CT has far-reaching technical, diagnostic, and economic advantages, according to Dr. Gerald Antoch of the department of diagnostic and interventional radiology and neuroradiology at the University Hospital Essen in Germany. He moderated Monday’s state-of-the art symposium on the use of PET/CT and SPECT/CT for cardiac and oncologic purposes.

Youth will rise to the fore at today's European Congress of Radiology. At just 51 years of age, Prof. Christian Herold is one of the youngest ECR presidents and the first from Austria. He admits that he represents the new generation of leaders.

Unhealthy habits have increased the likelihood of catastrophic cardiovascular disease at a surprisingly early age for asymptomatic adults who referred themselves for multislice CT coronary artery calcium testing at the Arkansas Heart Hospital in Little Rock.