Adenosine perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for risk stratification in patients with stable coronary artery disease - a long-term prospective study in a large consecutive cohort

Background Adenosine perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has been proven to be useful for short-term prognosis in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Most of the available studies so far only included specific subsets of patients and defined rather soft clinical endpoints. Thus, it remains still uncertain, whether CMR can be used as prognostic tool concerning long-term follow up and the occurrence of major clinical endpoints such as cardiac death or myocardial infarction. Aim of our prospective study was to evaluate the incremental prognostic value of adenosine CMR over other conventional risk factors in a large, consecutive and thus unselected population of patients with stable angina pectoris.