Myocardial perfusion imaging diverts patients from unnecessary, invasive angiography

For patients who have undergone CT angiography due to potential coronary artery disease, myocardial perfusion imaging can help them avoid unnecessary invasive procedures down the line, according to a new multicenter analysis

Coronary CTA is commonly used to rule out obstructive coronary artery disease in those previously deemed low-to-mild risk for the artery-narrowing condition. Some are recommended for further imaging to better assess their status, with invasive coronary angiography a potential solution.

But the question remains: Does MPI provide enough added information to warrant second-line recommendations? Danish cardiologists explored this question on Aug. 27 in the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography.

After looking at more than 53,000 patients over 10 years, the authors found MPI may have potential as a “gatekeeper” for invasive procedures following coronary CTA.

“Our data indicate that the current strategy of MPI as [a] second-line test in selected patients appears effective as it defers more than 80% of patients from invasive coronary angiography and is associated with low event-rates of myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality, comparable to those observed in patients receiving only medical treatment for their CAD after coronary CTA,” Simon Winther, of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues wrote.