Diagnostic Imaging Strategies for Patients with Stable Chest Pain and Intermediate Risk of Coronary Artery Disease (DISCHARGE)

The DZHK associated study DISCHARGE is investigating, whether cardiac computed tomography (CT) or cardiac catheterization is most appropriate for the evaluation of coronary artery disease in patients with stable chest pain.

DISCHARGE is a European collaborative project involving scientists from 31 research institutions in 18 European countries.

The study could influence current standards and guidelines and raise awareness of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of cardiac CT among patients, providers, and decision makers in Europe.

The project is coordinated by Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and funded by six million euros from the European Union.

Publications

Coronary CT angiography evaluation with artificial intelligence for individualized medical treatment of atherosclerosis: a Consensus Statement from the QCI Study Group. Schule K, Dewey M, et al. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2026 Feb;23(2):100-115.

Coronary Artery Calcium Score Predicts Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Stable Chest Pain. Radiology. 2024 Mar;310(3):e231557. doi: 10.1148/radiol.231557. PMID: 38441097

Age and Computed Tomography and Invasive Coronary Angiography in Stable Chest Pain: A Prespecified Secondary Analysis of the DISCHARGE Randomized Clinical Trial. 2). DISCHARGE Trial Group; Bossert et al. JAMA Cardiol. 2024 Apr 1;9(4):346-356. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2024.0001.

All further publications of the trial can be found here.

Access cooperation for imaging data with the DZHK

Marc Dewey is also part of the DFG-funded GUIDE-IT (Guide to Data Sharing of Imaging Trials) project, which focuses on making medical imaging data from clinical trials more easily and specifically available for further research projects. Among other things, the DISCHARGE data are to be made accessible through this (contact: dewey@charite.de). A kick-off event was successfully held at the end of April 2023. For more information on GUIDE-IT, please click here.

Principal Investigators

Marc Dewey (Berlin)