Is perfusion cardiac MRI more accurate than nuclear perfusion (SPECT) imaging?
We don’t know yet. There are no published studies that compare the two techniques head-to-head in the same patient population. However, the studies that have been published to date show perfusion cardiac MRI is a safe and accurate test for assessing for the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease. Certainly, the absence of radiation and soft tissue attenuation artifacts make it an attractive alternative. In addition, the higher spatial resolution of MRI allows visualization of perfusion within the myocardial wall. This may give MRI a unique advantage over SPECT for assessing balanced ischemia.
