Diagnostic-Therapeutic Cascade Revisited

The diagnostic-therapeutic cascade for coronary artery disease differs by therapeutic intervention. For coronary artery bypass graft surgery, the relationship is modest, and there appears to be a testing threshold beyond which additional tests do not result in additional surgeries. For percutaneous coronary intervention, the relationship is very tight, and no threshold appears to exist. Given the results of recent studies of medical versus invasive management of stable coronary disease, patients living in high-diagnostic-intensity regions may be getting more treatment than they want or need.