Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is being utilized more than myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for patients in the emergency department exhibiting acute chest pain, according to new research.
Research recently published in the American Journal of Roentgenology showed the effectiveness of CCTA over MPI using data from Medicare Part B from 2006 to 2015. There was almost no change in the number of MPI testing between 2006 and 2015. However, the number of CCTA examinations increased from approximately 100 in 2016 to more than 1,900 in 2015. Stress echocardiograms also had little change during the time period—3,544 in 2006 to 3,520 in 2015.
“The data indicate little change in the use of MPI and stress echocardiography in EDs over the period of study,” wrote lead author David C. Levin, with the department of radiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, and colleagues. “The use of CCTA has increased rapidly but still remains well below that of MPI and, to a lesser extent, stress echocardiography. The increase in CCTA use is appropriate, given the findings of three major randomized trials that included ED patients with chest pain.”
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As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.