CT or Invasive Coronary Angiography in Stable Chest Pain

To the Editor: Ten years ago, the Rule Out Myocardial Infarction/Ischemia Using Computer Assisted Tomography (ROMICAT-II) trial evaluated whether the use of coronary computed tomographic (CT) angiography led to shorter emergency department stays than usual testing among patients with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome without changes on electrocardiography or an elevated troponin level.(1) One question that was raised at the time was not whether a particular test was better than another but whether any further diagnostic testing was indicated.(2) The report by the Diagnostic Imaging Strategies for Patients with Stable Chest Pain and Intermediate Risk of Coronary Artery Disease . . .

Automated summary

This article presents the results of a trial conducted ten years ago on coronary computed tomographic angiography, which aimed to evaluate whether this method could shorten emergency department stays more quickly than usual testing. The article also raises a question for discussion regarding the necessity of further diagnostic testing.