Usefulness of Routine Use of Multidetector Coronary Computed Tomography in the “Fast Track” Evaluation of Patients With Acute Chest Pain

The role of non-invasive imaging in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome

“…A recent large study of 785 consecutive patients compared MDCTA with stress MPI for the investigation of acute chest pain. At 3 months' follow-up, 0.3% of the negative MDCTA patients and 3% of the negative MPI patients developed ACS or died [58]. Further small studies also show similar results.…”

“…The success of such strategies is linked to operator experience [56], and all centres considering the introduction of the service should ensure full training of both radiographic and medical staff. N it can be performed rapidly, so patients with positive examinations can receive appropriate rapid treatment N it can demonstrate alternative causes for the patient's chest pain (which can occur in over 20% of patients) [58] N it has a reported negative predictive value approaching 100%.…”

Impact of 64-slice coronary CT on the management of patients presenting with acute chest pain: results of a prospective two-centre study

“…Its major advantage is based on its ability to rapidly and accurately determine the absence of coronary artery disease [18]. In previous monocentric experiences, 81% to 90% of patients admitted for ACP and suspicion of ACS demonstrated no significant CAD by using CCT and one or two troponin measurements [4,19,20]. Our data suggest that classical evaluation of ACP in the ED based on clinical findings, history, ECG changes and biomarker surveillance may be improved by the use of non-invasive 64-slice CCT.…”

Clinical update. Computed Tomography — an Emerging Tool for Triple Rule-Out in the Emergency Department. A Review

“…6 Currently, along with the development of imaging techniques, patients are further investigated with noninvasive procedures such as computed tomography (CT), which seems to have a good specificity in the triage of patients accusing chest pain in the ED. [7][8][9] The role of CT in evaluat- 18 The International Cooperative Pulmonary Embolism Registry reported a mortality higher than 15% in patients with pulmonary embolism. 19 Having such a huge social impact, the need of an imaging modality appeared, that would assess, with a single examination, the pulmonary arteries, the thoracic aorta, and the coronary arteries, in order to rule out these three pathologies.…”