Washington, D.C – The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) – the leading trade association representing manufacturers of medical imaging equipment, radiopharmaceuticals, contrast media, and focused ultrasound therapeutic devices – today commended the recent classification of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) as a Class 1 recommendation for patients with acute chest pain.  The Class 1 classification, determined by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), and other groups in the evaluation of patients with acute chest pain, is the strongest possible recommendation for a diagnostic test and will extend patient access to these technologies when experiencing symptoms of cardiovascular disease.

CCTA is a heart imaging test that uses CT technology to determine if plaque buildup has narrowed the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart. According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States with an estimated 18.2 million adults aged 20 and older living with coronary artery disease (CAD).

“The updated CCTA classification underscores the value of imaging in diagnosing individuals with cardiovascular disease and provides physicians with yet another valuable diagnostic tool to appropriately identify disease and determine a patient’s best course of care,” said MITA Executive Director Patrick Hope. “This update reflects a patient-centric approach to diagnosing cardiovascular disease by offering patients greater access to proven and effective diagnostic technologies.”

Based on the updated guideline, CCTA should be used for the exclusion of atherosclerotic plaque and obstructive coronary artery disease in intermediate-risk patients with acute chest pain and no known CAD. CCTA should also be used for diagnosis of CAD and in the determination of treatment plans for patients with stable chest pain who have an intermediate-high risk of obstructive CAD.

The guideline also provides a Class 1 recommendation for stress testing for both groups of patients, including either exercise ECG, stress echocardiography, stress positron emission tomography (PET)/single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) or stress CMR.

The updated CCTA guideline was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) on October 28.  To view the JACC guidelines, click here.

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MITA is the collective voice of manufacturers of medical imaging equipment, radiopharmaceuticals, contrast media, and focused ultrasound therapeutic devices. It represents companies whose sales comprise more than 90 percent of the global market for medical imaging innovations. These products include: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), medical X-Ray equipment, computed tomography (CT) scanners, ultrasound, nuclear imaging, radiopharmaceuticals, and imaging information systems. MITA Member company technologies are an important part of our nation’s healthcare infrastructure and are essential for the screening, diagnosis, staging, managing and effectively treating patients with cancer, heart disease, neurological degeneration, and numerous other medical conditions.