These include indicators, benchmarks, auditing and accounting procedures, assessment protocols, and various types of reporting systems.
The core procedures (assessment, allocation, intervention and follow-up) were identical in both trials, but the populations varied.
In addition, because of the noninterventional design (observation of routine procedures), assessment and assessment times cannot be standardized for study purposes.
Evaluation: Validation of testing procedures, assessment of the efficiency of follow-up and intervention, and assessment of the benefit to the patient, family, and society.
Considering that post-procedure assessments might not be different than pre-procedure assessment, only the pre- and per-procedure assessments were included, that is at least 85 paired assessments before and 85 paired assessments during the procedure, which is equal to 170 paired assessments.
CONCLUSIONS: The rate of finding obstructive CAD at elective coronary angiography varied considerably among reporting centers and was associated with patient selection and pre-procedure assessment strategies.
In such patients, invasive catheter angiography, transesophageal ultrasound [5], invasive intravascular ultrasound, or low dose catheter CT angiography [6] have been suggested as alternatives for pre-procedure assessment.
Common elective indications for thoracic or abdominal aorta imaging includes the assessment and follow-up of aortic aneurysms, pre- and post-procedure assessment of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and in the setting of suspected aortitis.
Although there is growing evidence of the importance of MDCT in the pre-procedure assessment, one of the current challenges is to find the precise role of MDCT in valve assessment and sizing.
