A technique that provides a three-dimensional image of the heart without invading the body in any way may eliminate the need for more invasive testing in some people suspected of having blocked heart arteries, according to a new study.

The test, known as coronary magnetic resonance angiography, may turn out to be particularly useful in ruling out heart disease in some people who have a relatively low likelihood of serious heart disease, experts say.

Currently, the best way to find blockages in heart arteries is a test called x-ray coronary angiography. During the procedure, a catheter is threaded through a vein and used to inject a dye into the blood vessels of the heart. A series of x-rays can show blockages in the arteries, but the test can cause complications and poses at least a small risk to the patient.

A considerable proportion of patients who undergo coronary angiography end up not having heart disease, which has prompted researchers to see whether an alternative might be useful for some patients.

During coronary magnetic resonance angiography, magnetic pulses are directed to create 3-D pictures of the arteries that supply the heart with blood. Unlike conventional angiography, the imaging is completely noninvasive.

Compared to x-ray angiography, the noninvasive test was highly accurate at detecting and ruling out heart disease. Based on the results, the test may have a role in ruling out significant heart disease in patients at intermediate risk.

They note that as many as 25 of the participants in the study might have been able to avoid invasive angiography based on the results of the noninvasive tool.

However, about 16% of artery segments could not be examined by coronary magnetic resonance angiography, and that 6% of patients could not be evaluated for any heart disease-related blockages or for serious problems, such as blockages in three different blood vessels.

Coronary magnetic resonance angiography is "an ideal candidate" for evaluating patients thought to have coronary artery disease.

The average length of the test, 70 minutes, is a "problem" when it comes to using the test routinely. The small number of patients as well as the fact that only 84% of all vessel segments could be examined also raise some doubts about the test.

Despite its limitations, coronary magnetic resonance angiography may benefit some groups of patients, they state.

The New England Journal of Medicine December 27, 2001;345:1863-1869,1909-1910

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

I just love technology. They are able to come up with such fantastic advances. This one sounds particularly useful as it is non-invasive and will eliminate the one-in-1,000 chance that someone has from dying from the actual angiogram. It appears that there are still some bugs to work out in the procedure though, and it will likely not be available for some time. The huge problem with most of these tests though is that they will be used as justification for recommending invasive techniques like angioplasty or coronary artery bypass that are absolutely ineffective at treating the cause of the problem. They chose to ignore the potent risk factors like: Percentage of Good Cholesterol (HDL) Homocysteine Ferritin Level Lp (a) Insulin level The first one is largely controlled through proper eating and exercise. It is unfortunate that most cardiologists even ignore the elevated risk due to iron levels. Last week I had a new patient who had two angioplasties and was recommended to have a bypass. His cholesterol and HDL percentage levels were normal (this didn't stop them from putting him on Lipitor though). He also had normal homocysteine and LP (a) levels. His insulin level was also outstanding. But they neglected to check his ferritin. When I ran that one, we had a direct hit as his level was 350. Over five times higher than it should have been. So we had a reason for his heart disease and could treat it. In this person's case, he was also under some stress so he will be receiving care from our therapists for that with EFT. I doubt the elevated iron levels without the stress would have caused it. The only treatment that I am aware of for the iron overload syndrome of hemochromatosis is regular, monthly if possible, donation of a pint of blood, so the iron can be removed from the body. Iron can't be chelated out of the blood. However, he will also be undergoing a course of EDTA chelation to clear up the plaque buildup that had already occurred due to the stress and iron overload. Related Articles: Excess Iron Damages Blood Vessels Surgical Procedure May Not Be Worth