Can ECG-gated MDCT be considered an obligatory step to plan and manage a new chest-pain unit?
The recent improvements in multi-detector computed tomography technology and its application in cardiac field allow to consider this non-invasive imaging technique as a promising comprehensive method for detecting significant coronary stenoses in a chest-pain unit. The possibility to use the ECG-synchronisation acquisition protocol, normally limited to the cardiac volume, for the entire thoracic vascular system should have the remarkable potential to reduce invasive and non-invasive procedures actually used to investigate acute chest pain and the number of unnecessary hospital admissions without reducing appropriate admissions in patients with chest pain.
Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, University Hospital P. Giaccone, Palermo, Italy. grunza@sirm.org
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Runza
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Alaimo
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La Grutta
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Galia
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Basile
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Cademartiri
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Krestin
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Midiri
D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013577:Syndrome; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*