EU study analyzes effectiveness of cardiac computed tomography

Scientists from 28 research facilities in 20 European countries are meeting today in Berlin to kick off the collaborative research project DISCHARGE. The purpose of this project is to determine for which patients with chest pain cardiac CT or cardiac catheterization is best suited. The DISCHARGE project received six million Euros of funding from the European Union for five years and is coordinated by Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

In Europe, approximately 3.5 million cardiac catheterizations are performed each year. However, 50 to 60 percent of these minimally invasive examinations do not result in any further treatment. Prof. Dr. Marc Dewey from the Department of Radiology at Charité coordinates the project and will examine together with his partners whether or not non-invasive computed tomography (CT) of the heart is an effective procedure in diagnosing or excluding coronary artery disease. This could be beneficial for patients in two ways: patients would be exposed to lower risks due to the non-invasive nature of CT, and the examination itself is less burdensome and can be carried out on an outpatient basis. "Given the broad scope of our DISCHARGE collaborative research, we expect to achieve conclusive results, which will directly impact practice in cardiovascular medicine. We very much hope that our findings can contribute to improving medical care for cardiac patients", commented Prof. Dewey at the start of the project.