CCTA an effective initial imaging option for patients with stable chest pain
Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with stable angina, according to a new analysis of the RESCUE Trial published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The RESCUE Trial was a randomized, multicenter clinical trial designed to examine patient outcomes when either CCTA or single photon emission CT (SPECT) was the first imaging test of choice for stable angina patients. More than 1,000 patients participated in the study, with 518 undergoing CCTA and 532 undergoing SPECT. All patients received care from May 2011 to April 2013 in one of 44 different facilities. The mean follow-up period was 16.2 months.
Overall, there was no difference in patient outcomes between treatment with the two imaging options. CCTA, however, provided additional value by doing a better job at predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and revascularization than SPECT.
“The RESCUE trial provides further evidence for a CCTA first strategy for the diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients with symptoms of stable angina,” Arthur E. Stillman, MD, PhD, principal investigator of the trial and director of cardiothoracic imaging at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, said in an official statement from the American College of Radiology (ACR).
“We are pleased to add the RESCUE trial data to the literature providing further evidence in support of CCTA’s ability to exclude left main disease and in directing patients to either revascularization and optimal medical therapy, or optimal medical therapy alone in patients with symptoms of stable angina,” co-author Pamela K. Woodard, MD, vice chair and division director of radiological research facilities at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and chair of the ACR Commission on Clinical Research, said in the same statement.
The authors did note that their findings are not applicable to patients with certain conditions, including acute coronary syndromes and heart failure.
The full results of the team’s assessment are available here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.