<![CDATA[
Low-risk patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain can be diagnosed more efficiently with coronary computed-tomographic angiography (CCTA) than myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), results of trial published in the September 27, 2011 issue of the *Journal of the American College of Cardiology* suggest [1].
The Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography for Systematic Triage of Acute Chest Pain Patients to Treatment (CT-STAT) trial, led by *Dr James Goldstein *(William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI), randomized 699 patients at 16 emergency departments to either CCTA or MPI. All of the patients had symptoms of ischemia but a normal or nondiagnostic rest ECG, no previous known coronary disease, a low TIMI score, and no other obvious indicators of acute coronary syndrome such as elevated biomarkers or arrhythmia. MPI is the standard test for this type of patient at most of the hospitals that participated in the trial.
Ref and Read more: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/750093?sssdmh=dm1.720000&src=nldne
]]>