NEW YORK, Nov 28, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- High-tech heart scans fail in some
cases to detect artery blockages and at other times can misidentify blockages
that don't exist, a study found.
The study provoking debate among cardiologists indicates further that the more
invasive, standard testing procedure is not ready to be replaced by the newer
technology, researchers say.
Researchers said in this week's New England Journal of Medicine that supported
computer tomography or CT scans can be beneficial in identifying needed
treatment, such as open heart surgery.
However, while some cardiologists see the scans as improving patient care others
attack them as a potentially unnecessary technology driving up healthcare costs,
The Wall Street Journal said.
The industry-funded study, led by doctors at Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, examined 291 men and women, all over age 40, and suspected of having
heart disease. Fifty-six percent had heart disease.
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Copyright 2008 by United Press International