Repeat Perfusion Imaging Helps Assess CAD Risk in Diabetics

NEW YORK — Negative results in a myocardial perfusion imaging study offer no assurance that a patient won't later develop coronary artery disease, especially if the patient has diabetes and more than 2 years have passed since the negative study,

“Physicians need to have a low threshold for doing repeat myocardial perfusion imaging [MPI] on a patient with diabetes,” he said. “They need to have a broad definition of the symptoms that should trigger a second MPI in these patients.”

Examples of atypical symptoms that should raise concern about coronary disease in patients with diabetes include dyspnea, sharp chest pain, and variable responses to exertion