In a paper published online on 23 December in The Lancet, lead author Dr John Greenwood, senior lecturer and consultant cardiologist at Leeds, and colleagues, conclude that CMR is superior to SPECT, which varies in accuracy and exposes patients to ionizing radiation. They conclude that CMR should form part of all evidence-based clinical management guidelines for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD).
CHD is a leading cause of death and disability. There are around 2.6 million people living with the disease in the UK, costing the National Health Service (NHS) £9 billion a year.
The disease develops when fatty substances in the bloodstream build up in vital arteries serving the heart. These vessels narrow and become blocked, causing severe chest pain, a condition known as angina, which, if untreated, can worsen and lead to heart attack.
Patients with chest pain who are suspected of having angina are usually sent to hospital for tests to confirm the presence of CHD. Once CHD is confirmed, treatment options include "stretch and stent", a procedure where a balloon opens the narrowed artery and props it open; drug therapy; or heart bypass.
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