Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a major health concern and the leading cause of death in Australia. Effective assessment of patients for possible CAD is a common problem in general practice. Non-invasive tests such as myocardial perfusion scans (MPS), exercise stress tests (ESTs) and stress echocardiography (using exercise or dobutamine as the stressor, as appropriate) can provide useful diagnostic and prognostic information. This brief review discusses the role of MPS in the evaluation of CAD.