Massachusetts General Hospital

ICER Publishes Systematic Review of Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography

Article details evidence on CCTA's accuracy and effectiveness for evaluating patients with coronary artery disease

22/Nov/2010

The Journal of General Internal Medicine has published a comprehensive systematic review of the literature on the use of Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography (CCTA) for patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).  The systematic review by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), a leader in comparative effectiveness research based at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute for Technology Assessment, found that the evidence suggests that CCTA has high diagnostic accuracy, as compared to invasive coronary angiography (the standard of care).  However, there is limited evidence to determine its effectiveness in supporting clinical decision-making or improving patient outcomes in the out-patient setting, while there is some evidence that CCTA is comparable to other non-invasive diagnostic techniques in ruling out CAD as the cause of chest pain when used in the emergency department.

Link to full ICER news release.

Media Contacts: arah K. Emond, Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, semond@icer-review.org, 617-724-5497