Is FFR-CT a "game changer" in the diagnostic management of stable coronary artery disease?
The introduction of fractional flow reserve computed tomography (FFR-CT) that is performed from static coronary CT angiography datasets may open new horizons in the diagnostic management of patients with suspected coronary artery disease. FFR-CT has a high sensitivity and moderate specificity in identifying ischemia in intermediate coronary stenoses. It has been demonstrated that this technology has the potential to significantly reduce the number of invasive coronary angiograms and the rate of normal coronary angiograms that are not followed by an intervention. Furthermore, initial data indicate that FFR-CT may predict the hemodynamic effect of stenting and even of bypass surgery. Thus, FFR-CT, with its capacity to serve as an effective gatekeeper before invasive angiography and the option to virtually predict the success of revascularization, constitutes a completely new concept in managing patients with stable angina pectoris. Before this exciting technology can enter clinical practice, however, some evident limitations need to be overcome and significantly more data concerning accuracy and influence on clinical and economic outcome parameters need to be generated.
['Leber|W A|WA|']
D060050:Angina, Stable D017023:Coronary Angiography D003324:Coronary Artery Disease D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine D053805:Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial D006334:Heart Function Tests D006801:Humans D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted D015203:Reproducibility of Results D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Coronary artery disease Angina pectoris Cardiac computed tomography Coronary angiography Myocardial fractional flow reserve