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HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
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Alternative Way To Detect Heart Disease Heart disease is the number one killers in the world. It is caused by buildup of plaque in the heart arteries. The buildup can narrow the arteries, which can in turn slow down or even stop the blood flow to the heart. Therefore, early detection of heart disease is extremely important. There are several tests that can help to confirm a suspected diagnosis. These include electrocardiogram (ECG), chest X-rays, echocardiogram, blood tests, stress test, coronary angiography, computed tomography (CT) heart scan, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Among these tests, coronary angiography is currently the most commonly used technique to find out if arteries in the heart are narrowed or blocked. Coronary angiography, also known as a catheter test, involves injecting a special dye into the blood that will help display abnormalities through a series of X-rays taken. It is invasive and it requires a tube to be inserted into the heart artery through a blood vessel in the hand or groin. So it has to be performed under local anesthetic. Nevertheless, it is a relatively safe procedure and serious complications are rare. A non-invasive option is CT cardiac scan, which can visualize a heart’s anatomy using a series of X-rays and computer processing to construct an image. However, this technique might slightly raise the risk of cancer as the patient is exposed to more radiation than traditional X-ray tests do.
The newest technique, MRI, has advanced to a stage that it can produce images with accuracy comparable to that of coronary angiogram or even a CT scan. It is a medical imaging technique using a powerful magnetic field to provide a greater contrast between the different soft tissues of the body. While its use as a diagnostic scan for heart and heart arteries has only been a recent development, it has been used to image the brain, muscles and cancers. Researchers from Japan's Mie University Hospital conducted a study that highlighted the possibility of detecting coronary artery disease through the use of MR. Their findings were published in May 2011 issue of ‘Radiology’. After studying 10 healthy subjects and 67 patients suspected of having coronary artery disease, the Japanese researchers found that cardiac MR angiography is capable of achieving a sensitivity of 86 percent, specificity of 100 percent, positive predictive value of 100 percent, negative predictive value of 98 percent, and accuracy of 99 percent in the detection of severe multi-vessel disease. In another paper published in the ‘Journal of the American College of Cardiology’ in January 2011, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio of the United States reported that a 32-channel MRI machine and a 64-slice CT scanner could similarly identify significant coronary stenosis in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease, after looking at 120 patients. Comparing with CT scan and coronary angiogram, MRI approach seems to be an interesting alternative for heart disease suspects. Firstly, it cost only at a fraction of that of coronary angiogram, though its cost is twice that of a CT scan. Secondly, it is non-invasive so patients would not worry about complications. Thirdly, it does not require use of contrast (agent) so patients are not subjected to contrast allergy, damage of kidney from use of contrast. Lastly, MR does not require as much resources as a coronary angiogram does. Nevertheless, MR cardiac scan still has some disadvantages. For instance, a patient has to lie still for about 12 to 20 minutes on a sliding table that is moved through a doughnut shaped magnet. This is definitely not suitable for an extremely claustrophobic person. It is also not a viable option for a patient with an extremely irregular heart rhythm that cannot be stabilized by medication. In fact, MR scan is not meant to replace other tests but one that can complement others. It is simply impossible to set up an MR machine in every clinic because of the logistics, cost, and training of staff. Currently, CT scan is still the conventional standard to visualize a coronary artery. It remains to be seen whether MRI will eventually become the new standard.
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