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Environmental impact of cardiac imaging tests for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 00:10 authored by Thomas MarwickThomas Marwick, Buonocore, JThe use of cardiovascular imaging is growing inexorably and concerns have been expressed about its cost and radiation safety. In this study, the relative environmental impact of MRI, single photon emission tomography and cardiac ultrasound (echo) for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease were examined. The results emphasise that echo causes the least environmental impact at each stage of its life cycle. The effect of one echo on human health, ecosystem effects and resource use was of the order of 1-20% of those of the alternative methods. Although there are circumstances in which one imaging modality is preferred on clinical grounds, when everything else is equal, these results support the selection of echocardiography as the preferred test on environmental grounds.
History
Publication title
HeartVolume
97Issue
14Pagination
1128-1131ISSN
1355-6037Department/School
Menzies Institute for Medical ResearchPublisher
B M J Publishing GroupPlace of publication
British Med Assoc House, Tavistock Square, London, England, Wc1H 9JrRights statement
Copyright 2011 BMJ Publishing GroupRepository Status
- Restricted