Roles of nuclear cardiology, cardiac computed tomography, and cardiac magnetic resonance: Noninvasive risk stratification and a conceptual framework for the selection of noninvasive imaging tests in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease.

This review deals with noninvasive imaging for risk stratification and with a conceptual approach to the selection of noninvasive tests in patients with suspected or known chronic coronary artery disease (CAD). Already widely acknowledged with SPECT, there is an increasing body of literature data demonstrating that CT coronary calcium assessment is also of prognostic value. The amount of coronary atherosclerosis, as can be extrapolated from CT coronary calcium score, has been shown to be highly predictive of cardiac events. The principal difference between myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) and CT coronary calcium for prognostic application appears to be that the former is an excellent tool for assessing short-term risk, thus effectively guiding decisions regarding revascularization. In contrast, the atherosclerosis imaging methods are likely to provide greater long-term risk assessment and, thus, are more useful in determination of the need for aggressive medical prevention measures. Although the more recent development of CT coronary angiography is promising for diagnosis, there has been no information to date regarding the prognostic value of the CT angiographic data. Similarly, cardiac MRI has not yet been adequately studied for its prognostic content. The selection of the most appropriate test for a given patient depends on the specific question being asked. In patients with a very low likelihood of CAD, no imaging test may be required. In screening the remaining asymptomatic patients, atherosclerosis imaging may be beneficial. In symptomatic patients, MPS, CT coronary angiography, and cardiac MRI play important roles. We consider it likely that, with an increased emphasis on prevention and a concomitant aging of the population, many forms of noninvasive cardiac imaging will continue to grow, with nuclear cardiology continuing to grow.     

Roles of nuclear cardiology, cardiac computed tomography, and cardiac magnetic resonance: assessment of patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

Noninvasive cardiac imaging is now central to the diagnosis and management of patients with known or suspected chronic coronary artery disease (CAD). Although rest echocardiography has become the most common of the techniques, nuclear cardiology and more recently cardiac computed tomography (CCT) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) play important roles in this regard. This review examines the current applications and interactions of noninvasive cardiac imaging approaches for the assessment of patients with suspected CAD. In addition to considering the strengths and weaknesses of each technique, this review attempts to provide a guide to the selection of a test (or tests) that is based on the question being asked and the ability of each test to answer this question. In patients with suspected CAD, the pretest likelihood of disease, a clinical assessment, becomes the most important determinant of the initial test. If the likelihood is very low, no testing is needed. However, if the likelihood is low, recent data suggest that assessment of early atherosclerosis is likely to be the most useful and cost-effective test. In patients who have an intermediate likelihood of CAD, nuclear cardiology with myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) becomes highly valuable; however, coronary CT angiography (CTA), with fast 16-slice or greater scanners, may emerge as the initial test of choice. MPS would then be used if the CTA is inconclusive or if there is a need to assess the functional significance of a stenosis defined by CTA. Coronary CTA, however, is not yet widely available and is limited in patients with dense coronary calcification. In older patients with a high likelihood of CAD, MPS may be the initial test of choice, since a high proportion of these patients have too much coronary calcium to allow accurate assessment of the presence of coronary stenoses. PET/CT or SPECT/CT could emerge as important modalities combining the advantages of each modality. While CMR has great promise as a radiation-free and contrast-free "one-stop" shop, it currently lags behind CTA for noninvasive coronary angiography. Nonetheless, CMR clearly has the potential for this application and has already emerged as a highly effective method for assessing ventricular function, myocardial mass, and myocardial viability, and there is increasing use of this approach for clinical rest and stress perfusion measurements. CMR is particularly valuable in distinguishing ischemic from nonischemic cardiomyopathy. While CT and CMR are likely to grow considerably in diagnostic evaluation over the next several years, MPS and PET will continue to be very valuable techniques for this purpose.     

Diagnostic pathway of integrated SPECT/CT for coronary artery disease

Treatment strategy in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) is driven by symptomatology in combination with diagnostic evaluation of the extent and/or severity of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries and ischemia in the myocardium, i.e., the anatomic and functional correlates of CAD. Whereas multislice row computed tomography (MSCT) has the advantage of detecting coronary atherosclerosis at its earliest stages, thereby allowing initiation of appropriate therapeutic measures well before development of obstructive CAD, myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) SPECT can clarify the hemodynamic consequences of the anatomic findings on MSCT based on a functional assessment of myocardial blood flow. There is a lack of correlation between coronary artery calcium (CAC), coronary artery stenosis, and MPI SPECT. Therefore CAC scoring and stress MPI should be thus considered complementary approaches rather than exclusionary in the evaluation of the patient at risk for CAD. The integration of anatomic and functional information may provide additional information for the clinician by the improved risk stratification and diagnostic accuracy of integrated techniques. The majority of previous studies are based on a sequential flowchart, starting with either SPECT or CAC scoring that finally directs the therapeutic strategy. Patients at low risk for CAD can be selected for primary prevention, and patients at high risk for CAD can be directly selected for coronary angiography (CAG). The remaining group of patients at intermediate risk for CAD can be substratified into lower- and higher-risk categories based on the presence or absence of stress-induced ischemia on MPI SPECT and CAC scoring. An integration of SPECT and CAC as a starting point for CAD detection in symptomatic patients at intermediate risk for CAD may facilitate a tailored diagnostic as well as therapeutic approach. Finally, using SPECT/CT, MPI SPECT, and CAC findings may be completed with CT angiography. The development of SPECT/CT hybrid systems is therefore of important value for the nuclear cardiology armamentarium. This editorial commentary outlines a diagnostic pathway of integrated SPECT/CT for CAD assessment in symptomatic patients at intermediate risk for CAD.     

What is the role of calcium scoring in the age of coronary computed tomographic angiography?

Non-contrast-enhanced CT for coronary artery calcification (CAC) as a marker of coronary atherosclerosis has been studied extensively in the primary prevention setting. With rapidly evolving multidetector CT technology, contrast-enhanced coronary CT angiography (CCTA) has emerged as the non-invasive method of choice for detailed imaging of the coronary tree. In this review, we systematically evaluate the role of CAC testing in the age of CCTA in both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients, across varying levels of risk. Although the role of CAC testing is well established in asymptomatic subjects, its use in evaluating those with stable symptoms that represent possible obstructive coronary artery disease is controversial. Nevertheless, available data suggest that in low-to-intermediate risk symptomatic patients, CAC scanning may serve as an appropriate gatekeeper to further testing with either CCTA (if no or only mild CAC present) versus functional imaging or invasive coronary angiography (when moderate or severe CAC present). Given the strong short-term prognostic value of CAC?=?0, studies are needed to further evaluate the role of CAC scanning in low-risk patients with acute chest pain presenting to the emergency room.     

Cardiac CT angiography (CTA) and nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI)-a comparison in detecting significant coronary artery disease

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Endowed with sufficient diagnostic accuracy, electron beam computed tomography angiography (CTA) is being increasingly used to evaluate coronary arteries. However, data on direct comparisons with nuclear myocardial perfusion studies are limited. In this study, we sought to compare the accuracies of CTA and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for identifying symptomatic patients with hemodynamically significant obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a single-center study, symptomatic outpatients who were scheduled for cardiac catheterization were prospectively enrolled. Only patients with exertional angina or dyspnea were included. After fulfilling the inclusion criteria, 30 patients were enrolled in the study (mean age 54 +/- 9 years and 70% males). Patients underwent MPI, CTA including coronary artery calcification (CAC) measure, and invasive coronary angiography for evaluation of obstructive coronary artery disease. Significant CAD was defined as >50% left main artery stenosis or >70% stenosis of any other epicardial vessel by invasive angiography. The sensitivities, specificities and predictive values of MPI, CAC, and CTA were analyzed per patient RESULTS: CTA demonstrated significant higher sensitivity than MPI (95% vs. 81%, P < .05). CTA demonstrated significantly higher specificity than both MPI (89% versus 78%, P = .04) and CAC (56%, P = .002). CTA also performed better in a per-vessel analysis (sensitivity 94%, specificity 96%) than both nuclear and CAC. There were no significant differences between the sensitivities and specificities of MPI and CAC. CONCLUSION: CTA accurately detects obstructive CAD in symptomatic patients and may be more accurate than MPI or CAC assessment. Larger studies in a more diverse population are needed.     

Computed tomography coronary calcium screening and myocardial perfusion imaging

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has seen an exponential increase in interest as applications expanded from identification of coronary artery calcification to noninvasive coronary angiography and, more recently, identification of soft and noncalcified plaques. The interest arises from the well-known fact that cardiovascular disease remains the most prevalent cause of death in the Western hemisphere and the fact that in a large proportion of patients the initial event is either sudden death or a disabling myocardial infarction or stroke. Although traditional risk factors are extremely helpful in determining risk in a population, the prognostic ability of risk factors alone in the individual patient is limited. Hence, researchers have turned their attention to noninvasive modalities to image the atherosclerotic plaque in its preclinical stages, hoping to better address this ailment at its inception and change the natural history of the disease. Measurements of coronary artery calcium (CAC) serve as a quantitative reflection of the severity of coronary artery atherosclerosis, and greater calcium burdens correlate with more advanced disease. Indeed, CAC has been shown to add prognostic value to traditional risk factors in patients at intermediate risk, and in this group of patients, it is most cost-effective. Furthermore, CAC measurements providing an assessment of coronary atherosclerotic plaque burden appear to be complementary to myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography that offers information regarding inducible ischemia. In this manner, a better assessment of risk in a patient suspected of harboring preclinical or early coronary artery disease can be achieved. In this article we review the most relevant literature regarding the utilization of CAC testing as a tool to refine risk assessment and use several case studies to exemplify the combination of CT imaging and functional myocardial perfusion studies, which may provide a better identification of patients in need of aggressive medical therapy and those needing invasive assessment for possible coronary revascularization.     

How accurate is atherosclerosis imaging by coronary computed tomography angiography?

Invasive coronary plaque imaging such as intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography has been widely used to observe culprit or non-culprit coronary atherosclerosis, as well as optimize stent sizing, apposition and deployment. Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is non-invasively available to assess coronary artery disease (CAD) and has become an appropriate strategy to evaluate patients with suspected CAD. Given recent technologies, semi-automated plaque software is available to identify coronary plaque stenosis, volume and characteristics and potentially allows to be used for the assessment of more details of plaque information, progression and future risk as a surrogate tool of the invasive imaging modalities. This review article aims to focus on various evidence in coronary plaque imaging by coronary CTA and describes how accurate coronary CTA can classify coronary atherosclerosis.     

Coronary plaque imaging by coronary computed tomography angiography

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) has become the useful noninvasive imaging modality alternative to the invasive coronary angiography for detecting coronary artery stenoses in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). With the development of technical aspects of coronary CTA, clinical practice and research are increasingly shifting toward defining the clinical implication of plaque morphology and patients outcomes by coronary CTA. In this review we discuss the coronary plaque morphology estimated by CTA beyond coronary angiography including the comparison to the currently available other imaging modalities used to examine morphological characteristics of the atherosclerotic plaque. Furthermore, this review underlies the value of a combined assessment of coronary anatomy and myocardial perfusion in patients with CAD, and adds to an increasing body of evidence suggesting an added diagnostic value when combining both modalities. We hope that an integrated, multi-modality imaging approach will become the gold standard for noninvasive evaluation of coronary plaque morphology and outcome data in clinical practice.     

Kardiale SPECT/CT

Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and CT angiography (CTA) both enable significant coronary artery stenoses to be detected, but they are not suitable for assessing their hemodynamic relevance. This can be accomplished using myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) which, however, has limited specificity and spatial resolution. Regarding patients with known coronary artery disease (CAD) it is furthermore important to stratify patient’s individual risk for severe cardiac events to guide therapy management. The results of our investigations in 158 patients with CAD indicate that global and regional calcium scores (CAC) do not correlate with the presence of myocardial perfusion defects and significant coronary artery stenoses, respectively. However, published literature has reported CAC as being an independent predictor of long-time survival. For clinical purposes it seems that non-invasive diagnostics with CTA, MPS and CAC screening can be useful even in patients with known CAD. CAC and global scar burden enable long-term risk-stratification, whereas fusion of CTA and MPS is useful to detect the culprit lesion of relevant perfusion defects and to select options for revascularization.     

Diagnostic performance of combined noninvasive coronary angiography and myocardial perfusion imaging using 320 row detector computed tomography: design and implementation of the CORE320 multicenter, multinational diagnostic study

Multidetector coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is a promising modality for widespread clinical application because of its noninvasive nature and high diagnostic accuracy as found in previous studies using 64 to 320 simultaneous detector rows. It is, however, limited in its ability to detect myocardial ischemia. In this article, we describe the design of the CORE320 study ("Combined coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial perfusion evaluation using 320 detector row computed tomography"). This prospective, multicenter, multinational study is unique in that it is designed to assess the diagnostic performance of combined 320-row CTA and myocardial CT perfusion imaging (CTP) in comparison with the combination of invasive coronary angiography and single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT-MPI). The trial is being performed at 16 medical centers located in 8 countries worldwide. CT has the potential to assess both anatomy and physiology in a single imaging session. The co-primary aim of the CORE320 study is to define the per-patient diagnostic accuracy of the combination of coronary CTA and myocardial CTP to detect physiologically significant coronary artery disease compared with (1) the combination of conventional coronary angiography and SPECT-MPI and (2) conventional coronary angiography alone. If successful, the technology could revolutionize the management of patients with symptomatic CAD.     

Coronary computed tomographic imaging in women: An expert consensus statement from the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

This expert consensus statement from the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) provides an evidence synthesis on the use of computed tomography (CT) imaging for diagnosis and risk stratification of coronary artery disease in women. From large patient and population cohorts of asymptomatic women, detection of any coronary artery calcium that identifies females with a 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk of >7.5% may more effectively triage women who may benefit from pharmacologic therapy. In addition to accurate detection of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), CT angiography (CTA) identifies nonobstructive atherosclerotic plaque extent and composition which is otherwise not detected by alternative stress testing modalities. Moreover, CTA has superior risk stratification when compared to stress testing in symptomatic women with stable chest pain (or equivalent) symptoms. For the evaluation of symptomatic women both in the emergency department and the outpatient setting, there is abundant evidence from large observational registries and multi-center randomized trials, that CT imaging is an effective procedure. Although radiation doses are far less for CT when compared to nuclear imaging, radiation dose reduction strategies should be applied in all women undergoing CT imaging. Effective and appropriate use of CT imaging can provide the means for improved detection of at-risk women and thereby focus preventive management resulting in long-term risk reduction and improved clinical outcomes.     

电子束CT检出冠状动脉钙化及其与心肌灌注显像的对比研究

目的比较电子束ＣＴ（ＥＢＣＴ）检查冠状动脉钙化（ＣＡＣ）及核素心肌灌注显像（ＭＰＩ）评价冠心病（ＣＨＤ）的价值。材料与方法本组５０例均为临床疑诊或确诊为ＣＨＤ患者。所有患者均行ＥＢＣＴ、ＭＰＩ及冠状动脉造影。结果４０例患者共８４支血管冠状动脉造影证实有明显的冠状动脉病变（ＣＡＤ）（狭窄＞５０％），其中１４例为单支病变，８例为双支病变，１８例为三支病变，另有１０例冠状动脉造影正常。ＥＢＣＴ预测ＣＡＤ的敏感性、特异性及准确性为８３％、８０％及８２％，ＭＰＩ预测ＣＡＤ的敏感性、特异性及准确性分别为８５％、８０％及８４％，ＥＢＣＴ与ＭＰＩ的结果间无显著性差异（Ｐ＞０．０５）。ＣＡＣ血管供血区出现心肌缺血者达６５％。结论ＣＡＣ是预测ＣＡＤ的有价值指标。在有症状的人群中ＥＢＣＴ检出ＣＡＣ预测ＣＡＤ的敏感性、特异性及准确性与ＭＰＩ相似。有症状人群中检出ＣＡＣ患者多有心肌缺血或梗死，因此为早期诊断冠心病，应对无症状人群进行筛选。     

A stepwise approach to the visual interpretation of CT-based myocardial perfusion

Cardiovascular anatomic and functional testing have been longstanding and key components of cardiac risk assessment. As part of that strategy, CT-based imaging has made steady progress, with coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) now established as the most sensitive noninvasive strategy for assessment of significant coronary artery disease. Myocardial CT perfusion imaging (CTP), as the functional equivalent of coronary CTA, is being tested in currently ongoing multicenter trials and is proposed to enhance the accuracy of coronary CTA alone. However, unlike coronary CTA that has published guidelines for interpretation and is rapidly gaining applicability in the noninvasive risk assessment paradigms, myocardial CTP is rapidly evolving, and guidance on a standard approach to its interpretation is lacking. In this article we describe a practical stepwise approach for interpretation of myocardial CTP that should add to the clinical applicability of this modality. These steps include (1) coronary CTA interpretation for potentially obstructive atherosclerosis, (2) reconstruction and preprocessing of myocardial CTP images, (3) image quality assessment and the identification of potentially confounding artifacts, (4) rest and stress image interpretation for enhancement patterns and areas of hypoattenuation, and (5) correlation of coronary anatomy and myocardial perfusion deficits. This systematic review uses already published methods from multiple clinical studies and is intended for general usage, independent of the platform used for image acquisition.     

胸痛影像学评估的前瞻性多中心研究及进展

胸痛评估的前瞻性多中心影像学研究（PROMISE）始于2010年,该研究分析症状稳定的疑似冠心病病人首选冠状动脉CT血管成像（CCTA）进行解剖学检查或首选无创性功能学检查,旨在探究病人临床结局的差异。PROMISE研究了CCTA、功能学检查及冠状动脉钙化积分和CT血流储备分数等无创性检查方法对疑似冠心病的稳定性胸痛病人的预后价值,并探讨了生物标志物、年龄、性别、代谢性疾病对稳定性胸痛病人的影响。此外,PROMISE开发并验证了风险分层模型和个体化选择检查方法的工具。PROMISE对CCTA和功能学检查的应用产生了很大的影响,为疑似冠心病病人无创检查方法的选择提供了重要循证依据。     

Added value of coronary artery calcium score as an adjunct to gated SPECT for the evaluation of coronary artery disease in an intermediate-risk population.

The coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is a readily and widely available tool for the noninvasive diagnosis of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to investigate the added value of the CAC score as an adjunct to gated SPECT for the assessment of CAD in an intermediate-risk population. METHODS: Seventy-seven prospectively recruited patients with intermediate risk (as determined by the Framingham Heart Study 10-y CAD risk score) and referred for coronary angiography because of suspected CAD underwent stress (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and CT CAC scoring within 2 wk before coronary angiography. The sensitivity and specificity of SPECT alone and of the combination of the 2 methods (SPECT plus CAC score) in demonstrating significant CAD (>/=50% stenosis on coronary angiography) were compared. RESULTS: Forty-two (55%) of the 77 patients had CAD on coronary angiography, and 35 (45%) had abnormal SPECT results. The CAC score was significantly higher in subjects with perfusion abnormalities than in those who had normal SPECT results (889 +/- 836 [mean +/- SD] vs. 286 +/- 335; P < 0.0001). Similarly, with rising CAC scores, a larger percentage of patients had CAD. Receiver-operating-characteristic analysis showed that a CAC score of greater than or equal to 709 was the optimal cutoff for detecting CAD missed by SPECT. SPECT alone had a sensitivity and a specificity for the detection of significant CAD of 76% and 91%, respectively. Combining SPECT with the CAC score (at a cutoff of 709) improved the sensitivity of SPECT (from 76% to 86%) for the detection of CAD, in association with a nonsignificant decrease in specificity (from 91% to 86%). CONCLUSION: The CAC score may offer incremental diagnostic information over SPECT data for identifying patients with significant CAD and negative MPI results.     

Assessment of coronary heart disease by CT angiography: Current and evolving applications

Computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the heart is a rapidly evolving application for comprehensive assessment of coronary arterial anatomy, myocardial function, perfusion, and myocardial viability. Thus, cardiac CTA is capable of retrieving the most critical information for guiding the management of patients with suspected coronary heart disease (CHD). Ongoing technologic advancements have allowed acquiring such information within minutes, at radiation doses that are lower than those from conventional computed tomography imaging or common nuclear imaging techniques. Cardiac CTA has positioned itself as an imaging modality that may be well suited to fulfill central needs of cardiovascular medicine. This article reviews the evidence for the clinical utility of cardiac CTA in patients with suspected CHD.     

多层螺旋CT和三维屏气MR冠状动脉成像的对比研究

目的比较16层螺旋CT（16 multi-detector CT,16-MDCT）冠状动脉血管造影（CTA）和三维屏气冠状动脉MR血管造影（MRA）的图像质量以及诊断冠状动脉显著性狭窄（＞50%）的准确性.方法40例疑有冠心病患者在3 d内均行冠状动脉CTA和MRA检查,其中31例患者在2周内行冠状动脉造影检查.将冠状动脉分成9个节段（右冠状动脉近、中、远段,左冠状动脉主干,前降支近、中、远段和旋支近、远段）,由2名影像科医生共同对各个节段的图像质量按0～4级评分,比较CTA和MRA上各个节段的图像质量.以冠状动脉造影为标准,计算并比较CTA和MRA诊断31例冠状动脉显著性狭窄（＞50%）各项准确性指标.结果CTA在右冠状动脉中段的图像质量低于MRA,右冠状动脉近段二者无区别,其他节段均优于MRA.冠状动脉造影显示31例患者共有43个节段狭窄＞50%,CTA和MRA分别正确诊断出36和27个,其敏感性、特异性、阳性预测值和阴性预测值分别为83%、84%、49%、97%和63%、90%、55%、93%.结论除右冠状动脉中段,CTA大部分节段的图像质量优于MRA.CTA诊断冠状动脉显著性狭窄的敏感性高于MRA,但特异性低于MRA.冠状动脉CTA和MRA均表现了较高的阴性预测值,对排除冠状动脉狭窄具有临床价值.     

SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging with prone-only acquisitions: correlation with coronary angiography

Background  Recent evidence suggests that combining supine and prone acquisitions during stress-gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPS) improves detection of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), though the additional imaging time required may not be feasible in routine clinical practice. MPS with prone-only acquisitions is occasionally performed in many laboratories, though little is known about the ability of modern MPS with prone-only acquisitions to detect obstructive CAD. Our goal was to assess the ability of MPS with prone-only acquisitions to detect obstructive CAD as determined by coronary angiography. Methods and Results  We studied 386 patients referred for MPS with either recent coronary angiography or a low pretest likelihood of coronary artery disease. All rest and stress images were obtained exclusively in the prone position. The sensitivity of prone-only MPS was 88% for detecting ≥50% coronary artery stenosis and 92% for detecting ≥70% coronary artery stenosis as determined by coronary angiography. Normalcy rate for prone-only MPS in patients with low probability for CAD was 95%, and normalcy rates did not significantly differ among coronary artery distributions. Conclusions  The findings of this study suggest that MPS using prone-only acquisitions is a reasonable diagnostic option for the detection of ischemia due to obstructive coronary artery disease.     

Different manifestations of coronary artery disease by stress SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging,coronary calcium scoring,and multislice CT coronary angiography in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background. We sought to assess prospectively the evidence for silent coronary artery disease (CAD) in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by stress single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging, coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring, and multislice computed tomographic (MSCT) coronary angiography. Methods. One hundred asymptomatic patients (aged 30 to 72 years) with type 2 diabetes mellitus and one or more risk factors for CAD were prospectively recruited from an outpatient diabetes clinic. All patients underwent adenosine technetium-99m sestamibi SPECT imaging, CAC scoring, and 64-slice MSCT coronary angiography. Results. Twenty-three patients (23%) had abnormal stress SPECT imaging, consistent with inducible myocardial ischemia, whereas 60 patients (60%) had positive CAC scoring (18 patients [18%] with significant CAC >401), and 70 patients (70%) had abnormal MSCT coronary angiography (24 patients [24%] with significant, ≥50% stenosis). Of 77 patients with normal SPECT, 44 had a positive CAC score (10 patients [13%] >401), and 54 showed CAD on MSCT angiography (16 patients [21%] with ≥50% stenosis). Of 23 patients with an abnormal SPECT, 16 patients had a positive CAC score (8 patients [35%] >401), and 16 patients had CAD on MSCT angiography (8 patients [35%] with ≥50% stenosis). Overall, 17 patients (17%) had more than 2 significantly abnormal diagnostic test results, and 5 patients had three tests with significantly abnormal results. Conclusions. In this cohort of asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, different modalities visualized different aspects of silent coronary atherosclerosis. Anatomic evidence of coronary atherosclerosis (CAC and MSCT) occurred more frequently than functional evidence (stress SPECT). However, clinically significant manifestations of CAD were observed in about one-quarter to one-fifth of patients by each modality, either separately or combined. The relative prognostic value of each modality needs to be determined by a follow-up of this cohort. This work was supported by an unrestricted grant from BMS Medical Imaging. In addition, J.J.B. has received research grants from GE Healthcare.