Study rates heart scan techniques “Magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) scans should be used to assess patients with suspected
heart disease, rather than standard checks,” reports BBC News
today. This story is based on a large, well-designed study
comparing a new technique called cardiovascular magnetic
resonance (CMR) imaging against the commonly used alternative
test, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The
researchers tested the scan’s ability to diagnose significant
coronary heart disease, also looking at how they compared
against standard angiography, where dye is introduced into the
blood vessels to highlight any blockage or narrowing. The study
found that CMR performed as well or better than SPECT on a
number of key diagnostic measures. Together with the fact that
CMR does not expose patients to ionising radiation, the
researchers say the results show that CMR should be more widely
adopted. However, CMR will not be suitable for all patients,
including some with medical implants and those wh