A recent study has revealed a new testing protocol using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that can identify patients with heart-related chest pain, even if their main coronary arteries appear normal in routine examinations.
During a routine coronary angiography test , patients lie on a table while doctors begin injecting dye into the arteries that carry blood to the heart , a procedure designed to identify areas in larger vessels where dye flow is weak or nonexistent.
"People may suffer from angina even when their arteries appear to be normally open," said Dr. Colin Perry, the study's lead author from the University of Glasgow, in a statement.
He added: "When the angiography result is negative, doctors should consider performing MRI scans to monitor blood flow while patients exercise, especially women, because they are more prone to angina in small vessels that often go undetected."
He continued: "By measuring blood flow from cardiac MRI scans, we discovered the prevalence of small vessel problems."
During the study, 250 adults with chest pain, but no normal tests showing they had blocked coronary arteries, underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging tests, according to Perry's medical team at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, which recently concluded in New Orleans.
Physicians and patients were informed of the results of the stress cardiac MRI test to help guide diagnosis and treatment.
In the other group, treatment decisions were based solely on the results of standard angiography, and the results of stress magnetic resonance imaging were not disclosed.
After doctors reviewed the cardiac stress MRI images, about half of the study participants were diagnosed with angina, compared to less than one in 100 of those who underwent routine examinations.
More than half of the angina patients in the study were women.
Perry said: "Our study opens a new path for those suffering from chest pain."
He added: "Clinical testing concepts must now change to include cardiac stress MRI to detect angina, particularly in women who experience chest pain and have no blockage in the main arteries."
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