Anatomic and functional assessment of coronary artery disease: convergence of 2 aims in a single setting.

Conventional noninvasive methods of evaluation of individuals with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) have relied on functional testing by an array of modalities, including exercise treadmill testing, stress echocardiography and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT),1 or positronemission tomography (PET).2 In their most commonly used applications, these modalities are useful for assessing myocardial perfusion and function at rest and in response to exercise or pharmacological intervention, providing valuable information regarding the presence or absence of obstructive CAD, future cardiac events, and predicting benefit from appropriate therapies.