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A coronary CT angiography-only approach -- when factoring in a $20,000 threshold level for cost per correct diagnosis and $50,000 per quality-adjusted life-year -- is the most cost-effective diagnostic strategy for the evaluation of patients presenting with stable chest pain without known coronary artery disease (CAD) with intermediate CAD prevalence, according to a decision analysis study published in the March issue of Radiology.
While coronary CT angiography (CCTA) can assist in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), the radiation dose exposure during an exam has been a problem. Using volume scans rather than helical scans has the potential to reduce dose by 91 percent, a study published in the March issue of Radiology found.
The absence of coronary calcification does not exclude obstructive stenosis or the need for revascularizations in patients suspected to have coronary artery disease (CAD), based on results of a substudy of the CORE 64 registry data published in the Feb. 16 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
When examining the correlation between carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and coronary artery disease (CAD), researchers found that the utilization of CMIT can predict CAD, according to a study published in the Dec. 31 issue of Cardiovascular Ultrasound (CVUS).
The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) will increase the reimbursement for PET myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) by 24 percent in the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2010.
Low-dose cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) allows for the accurate evaluation of coronary artery disease, but with significantly less effective radiation dose to patients compared with coronary angiography, according to a study in the October issue of Heart.
SAN FRANCISCO—Plaque morphology, specifically non-calcified and mixed coronary plaques, detected and characterized by coronary CT angiography (CCTA), provides incremental value in predicting all-cause mortality in symptomatic patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a poster presentation at the 2009 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium this week.
Merge Healthcare has completed its acquisition of Confirma, a developer of computer-aided detection (CAD) applications for MRI.
In a real-world, clinical setting, the negative predictive value of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in low-risk patients is very high and "exceptionally helpful" in predicting freedom from events for up to three years, according to a study in the Aug. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology .
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and blood pressure measures can remain controlled in most patients discharged from a cardiac disease management program, according to a randomized study in August’s American Journal of Managed Care.
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Tuesday, March 09 2010
Rcadia Medical Imaging has been issued a CE Mark for its computer-aided detection software--the COR Analyzer system--that helps identify patients with significant coronary artery disease by an analysis of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) studies.
In a trial to assess gender differences in coronary plaque composition, researchers found that women presented less coronary segments with calcified and mixed plaque than men and had exhibited lower rates of coronary segments with stenosis equal to or fewer than 70 percent. The study was published in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
The European PACS market will grow by about 5.9 percent annually through 2015, according to a report published by GlobalData, a market research firm.
Physicians and providers interested in coronary artery disease (CAD) screening can now become certified as heart attack prevention/early detection specialists through an Internet-based education program.
Adding coronary artery calcium score testing with CT in patients with a normal SPECT scan could help to identify those at high long-term risk for cardiac events, in whom an earlier focus on aggressive risk factor modification and other medical therapies may be beneficial, according to new findings published in the Nov. 10 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The number of Americans admitted to hospitals for treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) declined by 31 percent between 1997 and 2007, according to statistics released Monday by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
SAN FRANCISCO—A debate, conducted at the annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium on Monday, highlighted the difficulties in assessing whether multidetector CT will soon be capable of accurately identifying vulnerable plaque.
Dynamic contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (DCE-MR) combined with pharmacokinetic modeling could be useful in monitoring therapy and predicting the response of new agents in treating type 2 diabetes, according to an article published in the September issue of Radiology.
Abbott has received approval from Health Canada for the Xience V everolimus-eluting coronary stent system for the treatment of coronary artery disease.
Stenting unprotected left main coronary artery disease (CAD) is feasible, offering a good long-term outcome, and using drug-eluting stents (DES) improves outcomes, according to the LE MANS Registry in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Middle age introduces itself in many ways; one is atrial fibrillation (AF). My onset of AF seems to have coincided with a mountain bike accident in the woods of North Carolina that resulted in some cracked ribs.
The use of health IT to reduce rehospitalizations will be welcome but also disruptive, said Stephen Jencks, an independent consultant in healthcare safety during a Feb. 24 webinar on the potential use of health IT to mitigate rehospitalizations, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
A new hospital breaking ground usually isn’t breaking news. But the vision of patient care at one new facility, tentatively named Palomar Medical Center West (PMC West), is currently illegal under California state law.
There are cases presented to all physicians when we have to balance benefits of a particular treatment with concerns around safety for certain patients. In interventional cardiology, we see this dilemma with drug-eluting stents (DES). While this technology provides effective therapy for many patients with ischemia-inducing coronary lesions, there are certain patient groups that encounter problems for different reasons.
U.S. News & World Report and HealthGrades surveys that rank “Best Hospitals” according to their high-quality cardiovascular care do not create the most comprehensive list and may create confusion by excluding hospitals that provide the same quality of care, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.