Cost-Effectiveness of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance

In the context of the dramatic growth of health care, the costs associated with cardiovascular imaging have come under increasing scrutiny. Increasingly, the clinical use of cardiovascular imaging requires justification with respect to both its clinical value and cost-effectiveness. Indeed, the use of cardiovascular imaging has been questioned due to a lack of evidence that its inclusion in a testing strategy will result in enhanced patient benefit. To this end, we review the basic principles and methods of cost-effectiveness analyses as applied to cardiovascular imaging. Further, we review cost-effectiveness studies of cardiac MR imaging to determine the depth of available evidence supporting this modality.