Assessment of Flow Limiting Coronary Artery Stenosis
Tuesday, April 5, 2:00-3:30 PM

Patients with coronary artery disease invariably need imaging – pre-, intra- and post-operatively. Researchers are trying to parse the different imaging modalities to deliver better data that optimizes care.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been around for decades and is well validated. It is being challenged by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in terms of an imaging technique that can help elucidate the nature of lesions including composition, length and vulnerability.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) received a boost from the FAME trial, but recent reports indicate its adoption is not as robust as its potential suggests it should be.

Coronary CT angiography can now image patients with less than 5 mSv of radiation dose exposure. The high dose that was associated with CT had been the bane of its adoption. But now, researchers are taking this modality into various different cardiac territories and finding it useful.

Of course, SPECT imaging, like IVUS, has a lot of literature validating its effectiveness. However, its high radiation dose has come under scrutiny lately. Researchers are now testing various protocols to reduce the dose.

This session promises to be enlightening to interventional cardiologists who want to better understand the finer points of using imaging to enhance the cath lab experience.

Speaker Information

  • Raymond J. Gibbons, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. -- Setting the Stage
  • Gary S. Mintz, MD, Cardiovascular Research Foundation, Washington, D.C. -- IVUS Is the Anatomical Gold Standard
  • Szilard Voros, MD, Fuqua Heart Center, Atlanta -- CTA Should Replace IVUS as the Anatomical Gold Standard
  • George A. Beller, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. -- Myocardial Scintigraphy Is Still the Functional Gold Standard

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