New technique for predicting heart attacks developed

Researchers have developed a new imaging method that could help to predict patients' risks of experiencing heart attacks.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has funded a study involving scientists from the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, which found that combining positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) scanning can offer various benefits in this regard.

During the trial, patients were given a CT calcium score to measure the amount of calcified or hardened plaques in their coronary arteries, a common test that offers some benefits, but cannot differentiate between calcium that has been there for some time and actively developing calcification.

However, by using the PET-measurable tracer 18F-sodium fluoride at the same time, clinicians can identify dangerous plaques that are still building up, flagging these patients as being at a high risk.

Dr Shannon Amoils, research advisor at the BHF, said the new research "allows us to assess active calcification happening right in the problem area – inside the wall of the coronary arteries – and this active calcification may correlate with a higher risk of a heart attack".

According to NHS figures, around 111,000 people have a heart attack in the UK each year, making it one of the nation's leading causes of death.