Cardiovascular imaging techniques for the assessment of coronary artery disease

Abstract

Coronary artery disease continues to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recent clinical trials have not demonstrated any mortality benefit of percutaneous coronary intervention compared to medical management alone in the treatment of stable angina. While invasive coronary angiography remains the gold standard for diagnosing coronary artery disease, it comes with significant risks, including myocardial infarction, stroke and death. There have been significant advances in imaging techniques to diagnose coronary artery disease in haemodynamically stable patients. The latest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and European College of Cardiology guidelines emphasise the importance of using these imaging techniques first to inform diagnosis. This review discusses these guidelines and imaging techniques, alongside their benefits and drawbacks.

Keywords: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; Computed tomography coronary angiogram; Coronary artery disease; Dobutamine stress echocardiography; Myocardial perfusion scan; Percutaneous coronary intervention.