[Assessment of ischemic heart disease with electron-beam CT and MR imaging].

Anatomical and functional information derived from diagnostic modalities is essential in cardiac imaging. Electron-beam CT and MR imaging have played a role in the assessment of cardiac function, and recent developments in both modalities have permitted non-invasive visualization of coronary artery stenosis, which previously had been demonstrated exclusively by catheter coronary angiography. In this article, coronary artery imaging and cardiac functional imaging were reviewed by focusing on new technical developments in the screening of coronary atherosclerosis leading to acute coronary syndrome. Quantitative assessment of coronary calcifications by electron-beam CT has already become one of the most useful techniques for predicting the degree of coronary atherosclerosis and the risk of coronary events in individual patients. Electron-beam CT and MR imaging have also provided non-invasive clinical tools with which to demonstrate coronary artery stenosis. Visualization and characterization of atheromatous plaque at the coronary artery has recently been attempted with MR imaging, since this might lead to the detection of coronary artery plaque that was likely to rupture, thereby possibly predicting and preventing acute coronary syndrome in asymptomatic individuals. Although electron-beam CT and MR imaging have not been fully incorporated into routine clinical practice, each could serve as a comprehensive modality for the assessment of ischemic heart disease.