Key words: chest pain, troponin, non-invasive imaging, cardiac MRI, diagnostics prognosis

"Diagnostic evaluation of chest pain; The role of non-invasive cardiac imaging"

Chest pain is a common symptom and can be caused by both cardiac and non-cardiac disorders. Non-invasive diagnostics is increasingly regarded as an essential part of the diagnostic evaluation in patients with chest pain, but inefficient and excessive use must be prevented. This dissertation describes the role of non-invasive diagnostics in patients with acute and chronic chest pain. In short, non-invasive diagnostics: 1) has no role in low risk acute chest pain, 2) can improve selection for invasive heart catheterizations in acute chest pain and suspicion of a heart attack, 3) can identify low risk patients if the test result is "negative" in patients with chronic chest pain, 4) cardiac MRI can identify an acute heart attack.