[boycott]

What are the chances that the good Dr. Nissen has been making a high-dollar living in the cath lab -- doing angiograms...?

You're so right. The cath lab is too profitable to give up. I am sure they would be in favor of this if it was more profitable for them.

[TXnMA]

Probably the best argument for the non-invasive scan is that, every time an entry incision is made in the right femoral artery (RFA) to insert the catheter, scar tissue builds up -- making subsequent cath work harder and riskier.

I have two cardiac stents (which work great!) , and later, a vascular surgeon wanted to do an angiogram of my right carotid to verify what could be seen clearly on the doppler ultrasound. I said, "no, thanks"!

When I told my cardiologist, he said, "You definitely did the right thing; that vascular guy pulls that stunt all the time. He's known for leaving big scars, and we may need access via your RFA if those stents give you any trouble later."

If need be, I'll travel halfway across the nation for one of the new scans, rather than risk an extra angiogram...