MRI versus CT for the detection of coronary artery disease: current state and future promises

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
• Noninvasive imaging modalities are crucial for diagnosing and managing CAD.
• CT and MR imaging offer complementary approaches to assess CAD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the capabilities of CT and MR imaging in evaluating coronary artery disease.
• To highlight the diagnostic and prognostic potential of these noninvasive techniques.

Main Methods:

• Review of CT and MR imaging techniques for coronary artery assessment.
• Discussion of methods for detecting atherosclerotic plaques, stenosis, and occlusion.
• Evaluation of stress-induced ischemia assessment using MR.

Main Results:

• Both CT and MR can directly visualize the coronary artery tree and detect atherosclerotic changes.
• MR excels in assessing stress-induced ischemia with high sensitivity and specificity.
• Both modalities can reveal functional consequences like reduced cardiac function and myocardial infarction.

Conclusions:

• CT and MR are valuable noninvasive tools for diagnosing CAD.
• These techniques provide anatomical and functional information, aiding in patient management.
• Future applications may include predicting CAD risk by identifying vulnerable plaques.