2009 ASNC keynote lecture: measuring cost, cost-effectiveness, and quality in cardiovascular imaging.

摘要

During the last half century, major advances in prevention and treatment have resulted in a steady decline in the age-adjusted annual mortality rates attributed to cardiovascular disease. These improved outcomes are related to enhanced public awareness, both primary and secondary prevention measures and, to a lesser extent, treatment of specific disease conditions such as acute myocardial infarction and heart failure.2 During the same time period, steady advances in technology have aided in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with known or suspected heart disease, and diagnostic imaging methods in particular have evolved and proliferated since the 1970s. Whether cardiovascular imaging has played an important role in improved cardiovascular disease outcomes is difficult to measure.