Cost effectiveness of adding CMR to evaluation of suspected coronary ischaemia

Summary To estimate the cost and diagnostic implications of using CMR alone instead of conventional TTE/TMET work-up to guide patient selection for angiography. Healthcare costs were derived from VHI’s hospital billing system. Background Patient selection for coronary angiography traditionally relies on clinical assessment, treadmill exercise testing (TMET) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is a relatively novel imaging study, which provides excellent non-invasive assessment of myocardial perfusion and is useful in risk stratification of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods