New Imaging Technology Could Revolutionize Heart Disease Diagnosis

Feb. 16, 2006 — -- New, cutting-edge technology promises to greatly improve the diagnosis of heart and other organ problems.

The breakthrough imaging technology allows doctors to see the heart function in its natural state -- motion -- rather than rely on static CT scans or partial-view angiograms.

"The tools we have right now -- the 64-slice CT scan -- is fantastic," said Alexander Tsiaras, author of "The InVision Guide to a Healthy Heart"and leader of the group that developed the new technology and is working with the radiology group at Lenox Hill Hospital. "But the heart is a muscle that actually moves around a lot, unlike some other organs. So seeing what it's doing is very powerful."

Coronary heart disease is the single-leading cause of death in America, responsible for 479,305 deaths in 2003. Chest pains, known as angina, affect 6.5 million people in the United States.

Currently, diagnosing heart problems is usually left to specialists, but Tsiaras' new technology could allow all doctors to catch potentially life-threatening heart conditions.

"Motion picture breakthrough increases the ability of all doctors to appreciate subtle abnormalities that could predict impending catastrophe or even the need for aggressive preventative therapies," renowned cardiologist Mehmet Oz said via e-mail. "What if all it took to figure out if you had damage to your heart or arteries was your general practitioner ordering technology because he or she could read the results?"

Oz believes some diagnostic tests, such as angiograms, will be rendered obsolete by this new technology. He added that the technology would ensure that the appropriate procedures were done, reducing the stress of invasive surgeries that ultimately prove fruitless.

Tsiaras said the group originally had designed the imaging to teach people how to stay healthy, not as a diagnostic tool.

"We wanted people to understand these really mysterious things that happen inside their bodies," Tsiaras said. "Later, doctors said to us, those may have applications in diagnosing disease, which is a nice bonus!"