Stress Test or 3-D Scan? The Best Heart Exam is … Either
Stress Test or 3-D Scan? The Best Heart Exam is … Either – Cardiologists reported Saturday that in a landmark medical clash pitting the diagnostic merits of fancy tech versus vintage exercise machines, the new toys and old ways finished in a dead heat.
The first showdown pitting 3-D, heart-imaging exams against older stress tests atop treadmills or stationary bikes found that among 10,003 heart patients, their rates of eventually having serious heart events were the same — no matter which method doctors used to check their tickers, researchers said.
Even more surprising, the rate of bad outcomes among the heart patients studied were extremely low. Which prompts a big question: Could the use of stress tests or expensive scans become less frequent for heart patients, replaced by more watchful waiting? Yes, says lead author, Dr. Pamela Douglas, Ursula Geller professor of research in cardiovascular diseases at Duke University.
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