PET, SPECT, MRI, and even x-ray-based modalities are helping researchers learn how to use stem cells to restore the pumping power of injured hearts. The modalities factor into plans to track stem cell delivery, survival, and replication during clinical use, making them essential for research. More »
Coronary artery stenosis patients age 65 and older have better survival chances when they are treated with drug-coated stents than with bare metal stents, according to findings of a study involving more than a quarter million Medicare recipients. More »
Drug-eluting stents provide a significantly higher patency rate after three years in patients with critical limb ischemia compared with bare metal stents. Findings of a recent study suggest that drug-eluting stents can reduce also postintervention treatment rates. More »
Just as arterial calcium predicts coronary artery disease, the presence and extent of fat accumulations around the heart may indicate the presence of atherosclerosis. More »
Cardiac MR can demonstrate the effects of airway pressure therapy in the hearts of patients with obstructive sleep apnea. In the first study of its kind, researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center found that it could document therapeutic benefits on structure and function to the heart’s... More »
Multislice CT angiography can save lives by identifying occult congenital cardiac anomalies and disease that could lead to sudden cardiac death among... More »
An international clinical trial involving 50 healthcare facilities and nearly 2000 patients has found that physicians often do not apply available dose reduction strategies in procedures, resulting in a wide variation in radiation exposure. More »
Evidence that plaque pathophysiology and not just stenosis may be responsible for cardiac and cerebrovascular disease continues to accumulate. Three-D MRI can accurately detect bleeding carotid artery walls, a potentially predictive warning of stroke, according to Canadian investigators. More »
Evaluation of carotid artery plaque density performed on serial ultrasound scans could help identify patients at high risk for a heart attack or other adverse cardiovascular events, according to Austrian researchers. More »
Multislice CT is just as accurate as MRI in assessing myocardial infarct size in an emergency setting, according to a recent study conducted by researchers in France and the U.S. The latest data validate previous findings suggesting delayed-enhancement myocardial CT correlates well with measures of... More »
Multislice CT angiography can save lives by identifying occult congenital cardiac anomalies and disease that could lead to sudden cardiac death among... 