Cardiac PET/CT catches heart attack, stroke candidates that stress tests miss

Findings from a study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Association concluded that doctors can further assess a patient’s future heart risk by also checking calcium buildup caused by plaque via a PET/CT scan. This extra measure can mean the difference between life and death for some patients.

“Many patients may mistakenly understand or interpret a “negative” stress test to mean, “you don’t have any coronary disease at all,” Viet T. Le, MPAS, PA-C, lead author and cardiology research physician assistant at Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute, told HCB News. The study team also included physicians. “Some clinicians may also interpret a negative test to mean the same. This simply is not true.” Read more.