JUSTINE CADET

Data rolls on: CT for chest pain in the ED

The flood of data emerging from RSNA 2009 is contributing to the ever-burgeoning clinical field of thoracic imaging, which is seeking how to diagnose, manage and treat angina patients, who present in the emergency depatment and could potentially have cardiac disease.

When, who and how to image remain burning questions, which investigators are furiously studying. And the CT advocates should be pleased with the data being presented at this week's conference.

One poster presentation, conducted by Lee et al from Canada, found that the use of a CT triple rule-out protocol as an initial diagnostic tool offers an effective solution, and CT addresses multiple clinical and economic challenges in the emergent acute chest pain patient.

Another study, presented today by lead investigator Dr. Josef Matthias Kerl from Germany, found that CCTA compares favorably with conventional angiograms for diagnosing significant coronary artery disease.

Finally, another study, presented today by Dr. Girish Tyagi from Harvard, found that a new new tool has potential for the automated analysis of CCTA to assist in ruling coronary artery stenosis in hospital emergency department patients with chest pain.

This debate is sure to remain contentious due the high radiation dose and costs associated with CT scanners.