The power of stress echocardiography and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in predicting long-term outcome. Nothing lasts forever

Excerpt

Cardiac stress imaging with either echocardiography or myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is a well-established method for evaluation of coronary artery disease and predicting outcome.1-4 In the current issue of the journal, Boiten et al reported the longest-term follow-up after stress imaging in 301 patients who underwent dobutamine stress test with simultaneous echocardiography and sestamibi myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging (MPI). Patients were followed for an average of 14 years. An abnormal test was strongly predictive of adverse outcome.5 Both stress echocardiography and MPI were comparable in predicting mortality and hard cardiac events. Although the number of patients was relatively small particularly during the later phase of the follow-up, the study has shown clearly a sustained prognostic value of both techniques with separation of survival curves in those with normal versus abnormal study for at least 10-12 years after the test. …