Ricerc@Sapienza

BACKGROUND:
Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) has an established role in the work-up of coronary artery disease (CAD), but its comparative accuracy is debated in elderly patients. We examined a large administrative database to appraise the performance of MPI in octogenarians.

METHODS:
Our institutional database was queried for patients undergoing MPI without recent coronary revascularization or myocardial infarction (MI). We compared baseline, procedural, diagnostic, and prognostic features in patients aged

BACKGROUND:
Myocardial necrosis after myocardial infarction (MI) is common; extent and severity are however variable. The pattern is recognized by myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) as fixed perfusion defects (FPD). The fate of such FPD is not well appraised. This study addressed this important issue in a large number of patients undergoing serial MPI in relation to type of intervening therapy.

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.

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This joint position paper illustrates the role and the correct use of echocardiography, radionuclide imaging with 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation and management of patients with known or suspected cardiac sarcoidosis. This position paper will aid in standardizing imaging for cardiac sarcoidosis and may facilitate clinical trials and pooling of multi-centre data on cardiac sarcoidosis.

Non-invasive cardiac imaging has rapidly evolved during the last decade due to advancements in CT technologies. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) has been shown to reliably assess the coronary anatomy and has established itself as the non-invasive imaging technique with the highest sensitivity and specificity in the evaluation of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). However, this technique has previously been limited to a pure anatomical assessment.