If I have heart disease can it be diagnosed accurately?

The point is that up until recently, even the most advanced cardiology departments have not been sufficiently equipped with accurate instrumentation. As a result, there has been an unfortunately high level of ‘false positives’ reported. As anyone can imagine, the implications of a ‘false positive’ diagnosis has massive implications. As Professor Avijit Lahiri of the Wellington Hospital, London says, “chest pains are often the first telltale signs of CVD, however, in many instances the differential diagnosis of chest pain is elusive, leading to a large number of ‘false’ diagnoses”.

There has therefore been a major need for a more accurate cardiology screening method. There have been tremendous improvements in our knowledge of the underlying process of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but unfortunately 30%  of people who have a heart attack don’t survive therefore early detection is critically important.  Early detection is confounded by the fact that almost 80% of the patients have had “silent” heart disease for many years. It’s important to obtain an accurate and rapid diagnosis of coronary artery disease at the outset and exclude non-cardiac chest pain, since there may serious consequences with a missed diagnosis. Also it’s vital to understand that the symptoms of heart disease are different in men than women.

The latest scanners come with ‘interesting’ names and for those people interested in the technology, they are called:

Dual-source ultra-fast CT scanner (Definition), combined with the hybrid CT+Gamma Camera (SPECT-CT) (Symbia T6), 4D- Echocardiography.

This is recognised as the latest state-of-the-art digital and remote telemetry system for exercise testing and 24 hour ECG monitoring. Furthermore, this new diagnostic approach is non-invasive.

Anyone concerned about heart disease or seeking information on how to go about obtaining a full and accurate diagnosis should read Diagnosing and Treating Heart Disease by Prof Lahiri.

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