Table 2.
Non-invasive imaging modalities for the study of subclinical coronary artery disease in patients with peripheral artery disease
Imaging modality | Advantages | Drawbacks |
---|---|---|
Coronary artery calcium score |
Low price High availability |
Does not visualize non-calcified plaques Low specificity in patients with PAD |
Coronary angiography by CT |
High sensitivity for stenotic plaque Can image plaque morphology High availability |
Ionizing radiation Plaque imaging technically challenging |
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging |
Can image plaque morphology High spatial resolution |
Technically very challenging Limited availability and high cost |
Stress echocardiography | High availability |
Does not visualize plaques Operator-dependent |
MPI with SPECT |
Prognostic information Low spatial resolution |
Does not image plaque Ionizing radiation |
MPI with PET |
Image stress induced ischemia Limited spatial resolution |
Does not visualize plaques High cost and low availability Ionizing radiation |
FDG-PET/cardiac CT | Combined anatomical and metabolic imaging |
High cost and limited availability Ionizing radiation |
MPI PET/cardiac CT | Combined anatomical and ischemia imaging |
High cost and low availability Ionizing radiation |
Specific PET plaque tracer/cardiac CT | Potentially specific identification of vulnerable plaque |
Method still at the experimental level Ionizing radiation |
MPI=myocardial perfusion imaging, PAD=peripheral artery disease, PET=positron emission tomography, SPECT=single photon emission computed tomography