State-of-the-art-myocardial perfusion stress testing: Static CT perfusion

Abstract

Large multicenter studies and meta-analysis have documented the diagnostic accuracy and the prognostic implications of stress echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance and, mainly, nuclear stress tests. However, none of them provides a comprehensive anatomical and functional evaluation within the same study as stress CT perfusion. Myocardial CT perfusion is the only non-invasive modality that allows to quantifying coronary stenosis and determining its functional relevance, constituting a potential "one-stop-shop" method for the diagnosis and global management of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. In comparison with the dynamic modality, that requires increased radiation, precise acquisition protocols and dedicated post-processing softwares, static CT perfusion was associated with less radiation exposure, non-inferior diagnostic accuracy, easier interpretation of images and is nowadays more widely available.

Keywords: CT perfusion; Functional assessment; Myocardial perfusion; Static modality.