Comparison of the cost-effectiveness of stress myocardial perfusion MRI and SPECT in patients with suspected coronary artery disease

The Role and Advantages of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in the Diagnosis of Myocardial Ischemia

Ischemic heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. For the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, some form of cardiac stress test involving exercise or pharmacological stimulation continues to play an important role, despite advances within modalities like computer tomography for the noninvasive detection and characterization of epicardial coronary lesions. Among noninvasive stress imaging tests, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) combines several capabilities that are highly relevant for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease: assessment of wall motion abnormalities, myocardial perfusion imaging, and depiction of replacement and interstitial fibrosis markers by late gadolinium enhancement techniques and T1 mapping. On top of these qualities, CMR is also well tolerated and safe in most clinical scenarios, including in the presence of cardiovascular implantable devices, while in the presence of renal disease, gadolinium-based contrast should only be used according to guidelines. CMR also offers outstanding viability assessment and prognostication of cardiovascular events. The last 2019 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for chronic coronary syndromes has positioned stress CMR as a class I noninvasive imaging technique for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease in symptomatic patients. In the present review, we present the current state-of-the-art assessment of myocardial ischemia by stress perfusion CMR, highlighting its advantages and current shortcomings. We discuss the safety, clinical, and cost-effectiveness aspects of gadolinium-based CMR-perfusion imaging for ischemic heart disease assessment.

Cost-effectiveness of myocardial perfusion SPECT and stress test according to coronary revascularization therapy, cardiac events and total mortality: Register of 8,496 patients

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to analyze the cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) of stress electrocardiogram (ES) and stress myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT-MPI) according to coronary revascularization (CR) therapy, cardiac events (CE) and total mortality (TM).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 8,496 consecutive patients who underwent SPECT-MPI were followed-up (mean 5.3±3.5years). Cost-effectiveness for coronary bypass (CABG) or percutaneous CR (PCR) (45.6%/54.4%) according to combined electrocardiographic ischemia and scintigraphic ischemia were evaluated. Effectiveness was evaluated as TM, CE, life-year saved observed (LYSO) and CE-LYSO; costs analyses were conducted from the perspective of the health care payer. A sensitivity analysis was performed considering current CABG/PCR ratios (12%/88%).

RESULTS

When electrocardiogram and SPECT approaches are combined, the cost-effectiveness values for CABG ranged between 112,589€ (electrocardiographic and scintigraphic ischemia) and 2,814,715€ (without ischemia)/event avoided, 38,664 and 2,221,559€/LYSO; for PCR ranged between 18,824€ (electrocardiographic and scintigraphic ischemia) and 46,377€ (without ischemia)/event avoided, 6,464 and 36,604€/LYSO. To CE: the cost-effectiveness values of the CABG and CPR in presence of electrocardiographic and scintigraphic ischemia were 269,904€/CE-avoided and 24,428€/CE-avoided, respectively; and the €/LYSO of the CABG and PCR were 152,488 and 13,801, respectively. The RCE was maintained for the current proportion of revascularized patients (12%/88%).

CONCLUSIONS

Combined ES and SPECT-MPI results, allows differentiation between patient groups, where the PCR and CABG are more cost-effective in different economic frameworks. The major CER in relation to CR, CE and TM occurs in patients with electrocardiographic and scintigraphic ischemia. PCR is more cost-effective than CABG.

Systematic review of cost-effectiveness of myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in patients with ischaemic heart disease: A report from the cardiovascular committee of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine. Endorsed by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of death and disability. Several diagnostic tests, such as myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS), are accurate for the detection of CAD, as well as having prognostic value for the prediction of cardiovascular events. Nevertheless, the diagnostic and prognostic value of these tests should be cost-effective and should lead to improved clinical outcome. We have reviewed the literature on the cost-effectiveness of MPS in different circumstances: (i) the diagnosis and management of CAD; (ii) comparison with exercise electrocardiography (ECG) and other imaging tests; (iii) as gatekeeper to invasive coronary angiography (ICA), (iv) the impact of appropriate use criteria; (v) acute chest pain, and (vi) screening of asymptomatic patients with type-2 diabetes. In total 57 reports were included. Although most non-invasive imaging tests are cost-effective compared with alternatives, the data conflict on which non-invasive strategy is the most cost-effective. Different definitions of cost-effectiveness further confound the subject. Computer simulations of clinical diagnosis and management are influenced by the assumptions made. For instance, diagnostic accuracy is often defined against an anatomical standard that is wrongly assumed to be perfect. Conflicting data arise most commonly from these incorrect or differing assumptions.

Technical advances and clinical applications of quantitative myocardial blood flow imaging with cardiac MRI

The recent FAME 2 study highlights the importance of myocardial ischemia assessment, particularly in the post-COURAGE trial era of managing patients with stable coronary artery disease. Qualitative assessment of myocardial ischemia by stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has gained widespread clinical acceptance and utility. Despite the high diagnostic and prognostic performance of qualitative stress CMR, the ability to quantitatively assess myocardial perfusion reserve and absolute myocardial blood flow remains an important and ambitious goal for non-invasive imagers. Quantitative perfusion by stress CMR remains a research technique that has yielded progressively more encouraging results in more recent years. The ability to safely, rapidly, and precisely procure quantitative myocardial perfusion data would provide clinicians with a powerful tool that may substantially alter clinical practice and improve downstream patient outcomes and the cost effectiveness of healthcare delivery. This may also provide a surrogate endpoint for clinical trials, reducing study population sizes and costs through increased power. This review will cover emerging quantitative CMR techniques for myocardial perfusion assessment by CMR, including novel methods, such as 3-dimensional quantitative myocardial perfusion, and some of the challenges that remain before more widespread clinical adoption of these techniques may take place.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for ischemic heart disease: update on diagnosis and prognosis

Despite significant advancements in the treatment of ischemic heart disease (IHD), IHD remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. In addition, there remains clinical equipoise regarding a number of important management issues across the spectrum of IHD, from evaluating patients with chest pain in the emergency department, to deciding whether patients with chronic stable angina or severe ischemic cardiomyopathies should undergo invasive revascularization procedures. Recent data over the past 2 decades has demonstrated that cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is highly accurate and carries robust prognostic value in the evaluation of patients with both acute and chronic IHD. The combination of cine imaging for cardiac structure and function, late gadolinium enhancement imaging of myocardial scar, qualitative and quantitative measures of myocardial fibrosis, and stress perfusion imaging for the presence and extent of ischemia provides a comprehensive and detailed characterization of cardiac anatomy and physiology that guides critical treatment decisions for patients. This review aims to cover both the diagnostic and prognostic utility of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for the spectrum of IHD.