Noninvasive Coronary Angiography — An Acceptable Alternative?

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Abstract
More than 1 million invasive diagnostic coronary angiography procedures are performed annually in the United States, and at present, x-ray coronary angiography is the only accepted method for the clinical imaging of coronary-artery stenoses. Even though this technique has been improved to speed the procedure and to minimize the risks inherent in invasive testing, the associated economic burden, the inconvenience to patients, and the small but not negligible risk of complications have prompted an intensive search for alternative, noninvasive means of coronary-artery visualization. However, noninvasive imaging of the coronary arteries is a formidable task: the small diameter of the coronary . . .