Early Successes in Transcatheter Cardiac Imaging Program Makes a Aortic ...

Cardiac Imaging Program Makes a Global Impact in Cardiac CT Training

Drs. Mazur and Pelberg held a four-day training course for physicians in the Saudi Arabia region.

Wojciech Mazur, MD, FACC

Medical Director, Advanced Imaging

The Christ Hospital

Specialists at The Christ Hospital's Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program are sharing their expertise in early detection and treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) with the world.

Our educational outreach continued recently with a four-day training session in Saudi Arabia led by Robert Pelberg, MD, and Wojciech Mazur, MD, and supported by David Collins from The Christ Hospital.

Coronary artery disease is becoming more prevalent in the Middle East, driven by high smoking rates and rising incidence of obesity and diabetes. In fact, obesity in Saudi Arabia ranges from 14 percent among children less than age 6 to as high as 83 percent in adults.? Yet, by the time heart problems are detected, the underlying atherosclerosis is usually quite advanced.?

These trends have increased demand for expertise in cardiac computed tomographic angiography (cardiac CT) as a tool for early and non-invasive diagnosis of CAD.

The Christ Hospital team was invited to the kingdom by Mirvat Alasnag, a cardiologist in Saudi Arabia who learned about the experts here through the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT).

"Cardiac CT is expanding globally and most certainly regionally in the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia, many new cardiac centers are being developed and are in the process of purchasing new technology and equipment. With the establishment of these centers, there is a growing need for specialists to perform and interpret CT studies," says Dr. Alasnag.

The training took place in January 2012 at King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah, a government-owned facility with the largest cardiac center in the country. Twenty-three cardiologists and radiologists from Saudi Arabia and Egypt attended. It was the first level II cardiac CT course to be presented in western Saudi Arabia.

Until recently, noninvasive procedures to detect CAD were effective only at diagnosing relatively advanced cases. Definitive diagnosis usually required a more invasive coronary angiogram. However, in the past five years, cardiac CT has emerged as an effective tool for early detection of CAD. Scans can determine the location and extent of plaque build-up and can identify other abnormalities within the heart and chest cavity.

Robert A. Pelberg, MD, FACC, FAHA, FASE, FASNC, FSCCT

Drs. Pelberg and Mazur are among the few physicians in Greater Cincinnati with level III training in cardiac CT. They have authored two books: Cardiac CT Angiography Manual and Vascular CT Angiography Manual. They also are working on a third book: CT Atlas of Adult Congenital Heart Disease. "I feel this learning was necessary to lead the fight against CAD in Saudi Arabia and I am eager to apply this extremely useful technology to benefit our patients," says Dr. Alasnag. The training course in Saudi Arabia is one of many ways The Christ Hospital shares its expertise in cardiac imaging. Physicians from Australia, Canada, Egypt, India, United Kingdom and throughout the United States also have traveled to The Christ Hospital to learn the latest cardiac imaging techniques and technologies. Dr. Pelberg says the visit was an eye-opening experience. "It was interesting to learn coronary artery disease is disturbingly severe and begins much earlier in life than what we typically see in the U.S.," Dr. Pelberg says. "This course will most likely become one of many in Saudi Arabia, and we have plans to expand our training to other areas in the Middle East with the help of our Saudi partners."

Drs. Pelberg and Mazur outside the training center at King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Drs. Pelberg and Mazur are scheduled to return to Saudi Arabia for another training session in January 2013.

Sources Khalid AM (2000). Obesity in Saudi Arabia . Bahrain Medical Bulletin. 22: 3.? Rainwater DL, McMahan CA, Malcom GT (1999). Lipid and apolipoprotein predictors of atherosclerosis in youth: apolipoprotein concentrations do not materially improve prediction of arterial lesions in PDAY subjects. The PDAY Research Group". Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1999; 19(3): 753-761.?

Heart and Vascular UPDATE 77

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