Noninvasive cardiovascular imaging in coronary artery disease

Coronary heart disease accounts for 7.2 million deaths per year worldwide. Noninvasive imaging modalities have the potential to provide important diagnostic and prognostic information while avoiding the potential risks of invasive coronary angiography. The ideal imaging modality should provide the optimal combination of patient safety, anatomical, functional, diagnostic and prognostic information (i.e., the ‘one-stop-shop’). Exciting new developments in cardiac imaging, including hybrid SPECT/PET-CT technology, refinements in MRI angiography and vulnerable plaque imaging, may make this ‘ideal’ modality achievable. However, continued refinements and further prospective data to validate the use of such new technologies are required, particularly in the context of limited healthcare resources and economic constraints.