Cardiac Imaging

While cardiac ultrasound is the widely used imaging modality for heart assessments, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear imaging are also used and are often complimentary, each offering specific details about the heart other modalities cannot. For this reason the clinical question being asked often determines the imaging test that will be used.

Banner ASC in Sun City, Arizona.

Women urged to overcome radiation fears, consider a career in interventional cardiology

"The underrepresentation of women in interventional cardiology is a significant concern," according to one cardiologist behind the new campaign. 

PHOTO GALLERY: ASNC2024, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology's annual meeting

The three-day event attracted nuclear cardiology specialists from all over the world.

Royal Philips has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its new 160-cm LumiGuide endovascular navigation wire, which uses the company’s popular Fiber Optic RealShape (FORS) technology to deliver real-time 3D visualization without the use of fluoroscopy.

FDA approves longer LumiGuide 3D navigation wire from Philips

The newly approved device comes in at 160 cm. Like the shorter LumiGuide device from Philips, it was designed to deliver real-time 3D visualization with light instead of X-rays. 

IVUS Intravascular Ultrasound ACC

Intravascular imaging during PCI: Should cardiologists choose IVUS or OCT?

Which modality should care teams choose for PCI guidance? While there's an argument to be made for choosing IVUS over OCT, some specialists think the two treatment options are close to equal in terms of patient outcomes. 

SpectraWAVE, a Massachusetts-based imaging company focused on treatments for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), has closed a $50 million funding round. Johnson & Johnson Innovation led the round, and other participants included S3 Ventures, Lumira Ventures, SV Health Investors, Deerfield Management, NovaVenture and Heartwork Capital.

SpectraWAVE raises $50M for FDA-cleared intravascular imaging technology

The funds, including a significant investment from Johnson & Johnson, are expected to go toward expanding access to the company's HyperVue Imaging System and exploring new features.

Cardiac PET on the rise among U.S. cardiologists

SPECT is still the most common modality used to evaluate CAD patients, but cardiac PET is gaining more and more momentum.

SCCT 2024-2025 President Maros Ferencik (right) shared an office with SCCT's first president Stephan Achenbach (left) in 2002.

New SCCT president takes office, lists priorities

Maros Ferencik, MD, noted that the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography represents specialists from many different specialties, including cardiology, radiology and beyond. 

The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) has shared new recommendations for performing medical imaging exams on heart failure patients with surgically implanted left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and temporary mechanical circulatory support (TMCS) devices. The guideline, published in full in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, represents ASE’s first update on the topic since 2015.[1]

ASE shares new guideline on imaging patients with implanted devices

The new guideline details the best imaging strategies for a variety of clinical scenarios. 

Around the web

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.

The newly cleared offering, AutoChamber, was designed with opportunistic screening in mind. It can evaluate many different kinds of CT images, including those originally gathered to screen patients for lung cancer. 

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