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.
Runza
G
G
Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, University Hospital P. Giaccone, Palermo, Italy. grunza@sirm.org
Alaimo
V
V
La Grutta
L
L
Galia
M
M
Basile
A
A
Cademartiri
F
F
Krestin
G P
GP
Midiri
M
M
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*