Cardiologists predict that in the next three years the top heart imaging modalities in use will shift, with the currently most used including echocardiography, SPECT, and cardiac catheterization becoming less prominent, according to a new report from IMV Medical Information Division. In coming years, as CT angiography (CTA) and MR angiography (MRA) become more prominent, CTA will be the method of choice in diagnosing some cardiac conditions rather than SPECT or diagnostic catheterization. Beyond making the choice of which modality is best for particular cardiac indications, soon physicians face the choice of “whether to refer patients out or to acquire these imaging technologies for their practices,” said Mary C. Patton, director, Market Research. Other findings in the report include:

• U.S. cardiologists view echocardiography as the best option for the evaluation of congestive heart failure, valvular heart disease, endocarditis, syncope, and recent survivors of myocardial infarction and ventricular fibrillation;
• Approximately 72 percent of cardiologists currently order CTA procedures, with fewer (59 percent) ordering MR and MRA procedures each month; and
• Doctors consider SPECT to be the modality that has seen the greatest usage increase compared to three years ago. Ninety-six percent of respondents report ordering SPECT exams every month.

More: www.imvinfo.com