Long-Term Warranty Period of Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) and Single-photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) in Stable Angina: Implications for Repeat Testing
Authors' conclusion
In a long-term prospective study of patients with stable chest pain, stress CMR remained a strong, independent predictor of hard cardiovascular events, with a warranty period of almost 7 years for a normal scan.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with suspected angina (stable chest pain) in the CE-MARC trialof 752 recruited
- Participants
- 652 patients
- Comparison
- Stress CMR vs SPECT
- Primary endpoint
- MACE (CV death, MI, unplanned coronary revascularization) and warranty period of a normal test (time during which patients remained 97.5% free of MACE)
- Follow-up
- Median 15.5 years (Q1-Q3: 12.4-16.6 years)
Methodological detailsprognostic cohort study
- Prognostic cohort study
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Warranty period of a normal test result
- Abnormal CMR as independent major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) predictor (adjusted for CV risk factors), HR 2.74, 95% CI 1.70-4.42
- P < 0.001
Further findings
Events during follow-up (whole cohort) · median 15.5 years
- CV deaths
- 40 (6.1%)
- MI
- 29 (4.4%)
- Unplanned revascularization
- 47 (7.2%)
Warranty period modifiers
- Age, smoking and DM identified higher-risk patients with a reduced warranty period for a normal result
Original publication
Long-Term Warranty Period of Stress CMR and SPECT in Stable Angina: Implications for Repeat Testing. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. Published 15 September 2026. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it