scholarly journals Present and future of coronary risk assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_E) ◽  
pp. E123-E127
Author(s):  
Francesco Prati ◽  
Flavio Giuseppe Biccirè ◽  
Simone Budassi

Abstract The search for subclinical atherosclerosis is carried out in several arterial districts using ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT). Coronary calcium assessed by computerized tomography (calcium score) is a well-validated marker of atherosclerosis and able to correlate with the extent of coronary artery disease and the risk of cardiovascular events. The evaluation of carotid atherosclerosis by ultrasonography is a technically simple and low-cost solution. However, the literature does not provide a sufficient number of evidence to clarify the clinical impact of carotid atherosclerosis and in particular the risk of developing cardiac events. According to the researchers of the Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis (PESA) study, subclinical atherosclerosis research should preferably be carried out in the femoral district, which is more easily affected by atherosclerosis. Pending the data from the PESA study, which will better clarify the role of ultrasound applied in non-coronary districts, the coronary calcifications seems to be a reasonable solution. It is possible that in the future imaging techniques (CT-PET) capable of studying the extent and functional status of coronary atherosclerosis will further improve the identification of the risk of cardiovascular events.

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Sousa ◽  
M I Mendonca ◽  
M Santos ◽  
M Temtem ◽  
F Mendonca ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is an emerging cardiovascular risk marker. It has been suggested to be an inflammatory mediator with a role in subclinical atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. However, its prognostic relevance in hard clinical outcomes remains thoroughly unexplored in the literature. Purpose Evaluate the prognostic relevance of EAT, regarding the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in an asymptomatic population. Methods 895 asymptomatic volunteers were prospectively enrolled in a single Portuguese center (mean age 51.9±7.7, 78.5% male) and underwent a median follow-up time of 3.7 years (IQR 5.0). EAT volume was measured by Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT) using a modified simplified method. Participants were distributed into two groups, above and below the EAT-volume median. We compared both groups regarding the occurrence of MACE through univariate analysis, Kaplan-Meier Survival curves and log-rank test. Association to subclinical atherosclerosis was addressed using correlation between EAT volume and calcium score (Agatson). Results There is a strong correlation between EAT volume and calcium score (r=0.205, p<0.0001), sustaining that it may play an important role in mediating coronary artery disease and subclinical atherosclerosis. Patients with higher EAT volume, were exposed to higher occurrence of MACE on follow-up [70.4% (19 of 27) vs 49.4% (429 of 868), p=0.032] with a clearer separation of the curves after 5.7 years. Conclusion In an asymptomatic population, EAT volume seems to be related to subclinical atherosclerosis and to the occurrence of adverse cardiovascular events on long-term follow-up. Our study addresses some unanswered questions, such as the prognostic relevance of EAT as an emerging cardiovascular risk marker. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 73-73
Author(s):  
Mona Hassan ◽  
Talar Telvizian ◽  
Mostafa Abohelwa ◽  
Hadi Skouri ◽  
Deborah Mukherji

73 Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the mainstay of treatment for advanced prostate cancer, improving symptoms and prolonging survival. There is an association between ADT use and cardiovascular events, particularly in men with pre-existing risk factors. There are no definite guidelines to stratify patients based on cardiovascular risk prior to ADT initiation. This is the first study on cardiac risks and events in patients on ADT from Lebanon and the Middle East region, a population known to have a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 236 patients with prostate cancer who received ADT therapy at a tertiary care center in Lebanon was performed. 167 had a full set of data and were included in analysis. Cardiovascular risk factors at baseline and cardiovascular events on ADT were reviewed. Results: The median age of our cohort was 68, range 48-92 years. The majority of patients had stage 4 diseases at diagnosis (49.8%) with a median duration of 12 months on ADT. In our cohort 24.4% had body mass index > 30, 52.1% had smoking history, 27.4% were diabetic, 28.8 % had history of coronary artery disease, 10.6% had heart failure history and 54.6% had hypertension. Less than half of the patients had a documented lipid profile at baseline. Twenty two patients (9.5%) had documented cardiac events following ADT initiation. Conclusions: In this cohort of patients from the Middle East we found that one third of the population had established coronary artery disease at baseline and 9.5% had documented cardiac events on ADT initiation. Our study highlights the gaps in cardiovascular risk assessment for this high risk group of patients with prostate cancer. Risk and resource-stratified algorithms are needed before starting ADT therapy for optimal cardiovascular health. Increased awareness, collaboration and referral mechanisms between oncologists, urologist and cardiologists are also needed.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dae-Woo Hyun ◽  
Ki-Hong Kim ◽  
Hyun-Ju Yoon ◽  
Taek-Geun Kwon ◽  
Ki-Young Kim ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Benetos ◽  
M Goncalves ◽  
E Von Felten ◽  
G Rampidis ◽  
O Clerc ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) provides incremental prognostic information over traditional risk factors in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. However, little is known about the long-term predictive performance of CCTA-derived coronary volumes and mid-diastolic left ventricular (LV) mass. Purpose To assess long-term prognostic value of coronary volumes and mid-diastolic LV mass as novel potential imaging predictors derived from low-dose prospectively ECG-triggered CCTA. Methods Consecutive patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease, referred for low-dose CCTA, were included. Patients with previous revascularization were excluded. The following parameters were evaluated: calcium score, segment involvement score (SIS: 1 point for each coronary segment with presence of plaque), coronary volume, mid-diastolic LV mass and coronary volume indexed to LV mass. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were defined as all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction and revascularization (PCI or CABG). The association between CCTA measures and the occurrence of events was quantified using cox regression hazard and Kaplan Meier analysis. Results A total of 147 consecutive patients were included in the study. Of them, 93 (63.3%) were male and 79 (53.7%) hat one or more traditional cardiovascular risk factors. There was a weak but statistical significant inverse correlation between indexed coronary volume and both calcium score (R=-0.3, p=0.01) and SIS (R=-0.24, p=0.005). After a median follow-up of 5.8 years 30 MACE occurred in 25 patients, including 3 deaths, 26 revascularizations and 1 non-fatal myocardial infarction. In univariate cox regression hazard analysis calcium score (HR=12.69, 95% CI 2.99–53.83, p<0.001), SIS (HR=1.66, 95% CI 1.43–1.94, p<0.001), LV mass (HR=1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.03, p=0.007) and indexed coronary volume (HR=0.89, 95% 0.82–0.96, p=0.004) were associated with outcome. In multivariate analysis, indexed coronary volume, remained an independent predictor for MACE when adjusted for traditional risk factors and SIS (HR=0.93, 95% CI 0.87–1.00, p=0.05), while LV mass did not reach statistical significance (p=0.46). By ROC curve analysis, a value of 21.85 mm3/gr was defined as optimal cutoff for indexed coronary volume. In Kaplan Meier plots, patients with low indexed coronary volume (<21.85 mm3/gr) showed higher event rates (log rank p<0.001) compared to high indexed coronary volume (≥21.85 mm3/gr). Conclusions Indexed coronary volume, derived from low-dose CCTA, independently predicts cardiovascular events. Larger studies are mandated to confirm the predictive value of this potential new biomarker.


2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (03) ◽  
pp. 429-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Gao ◽  
Xiaojuan Ma ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Ming Guo ◽  
Dazhuo Shi

SummaryThe acute cardiovascular events following thrombus formation is a primary cause of morbidity and mortality of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Numerous studies have shown that a prethrombotic status, which can be defined as an imbalance between the procoagulant and anticoagulant conditions, would exist for a period of time before thrombogenesis. Therefore, early diagnosis and intervention of prethrombotic status are important for reducing acute cardiovascular events. However, none of prethrombotic indicators have been identified as golden standard for diagnosis of prethrombotic status to date. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of short non-coding RNAs, have been shown to be involved in pathophysiologic processes related to prethrombotic status, such as endothelial dysfunction, platelet activation, impaired fibrinolysis and elevated procoagulant factors, etc. Owing to their multiple and fine-tuning impacts on gene expression, miRNAs raise a novel understanding in the underlying mechanism of prethrombotic status. This review aims to discuss the role of miRNAs in prethrombotic status, especially the differently expressed miRNAs in CAD, which may be meaningful for developing promising diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for CAD patients in future.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sándor Miklós Szilágyi ◽  
Monica Marton Popovici ◽  
László Szilágyi

AbstractCoronary artery disease represents one of the leading reasons of death worldwide, and acute coronary syndromes are their most devastating consequences. It is extremely important to identify the patients at risk for developing an acute myocardial infarction, and this goal can be achieved using noninvasive imaging techniques. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is currently one of the most reliable methods used for assessing the coronary arteries; however, its use in emergency settings is sometimes limited due to time constraints. This paper presents the main characteristics of plaque vulnerability, the role of CCTA in the assessment of vulnerable plaques, and automatic segmentation techniques of the coronary artery tree based on CT angiography images. A detailed inventory of existing methods is given, representing the state-of-the-art of computational methods applied in vascular system segmentation, focusing on the current applications in acute coronary syndromes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-84
Author(s):  
Carmen Beladan ◽  
Maria Magdalena Gurzun ◽  
Mihai Teodor Bica ◽  
Dan Deleanu ◽  
Pavel Platon ◽  
...  

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a relatively frequent congenital defect. Its natural evolution is marked by serious complications including aortic dissection, heart failure, coronary artery disease, infective endocarditis, or cerebral haemorrhages. Correction of CoA before complications arise is associated with a favourable long-term outcome. Timely diagnosis of CoA is therefore of utmost importance in the prognosis of these patients. Non-invasive imaging techniques, ranging from chest radiography to echocardiography, Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT), and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) have evolved to the extent where they can not only suggest but also precisely characterize the lesion and guide further management. We present a series of 3 case reports, highlighting the diagnostic approach and treatment for this pathology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Huang ◽  
A Mugharbil ◽  
M Anastasius ◽  
S Ghadiri ◽  
J Leipsic ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Family history of premature coronary artery disease (CAD) is known to predispose individuals to adverse CAD events, often at a younger age. Current risk stratification strategy is suboptimal, as up to 50% of individuals were considered “low-risk” prior to their first presentation of myocardial infarction. Coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is a marker of atherosclerosis and provides incremental value in risk stratification. However, the utility of CACS may be limited in younger patients as they often have non-calcified atherosclerotic plaques. In this study, we evaluate the sensitivity of CACS in detecting subclinical atherosclerosis in different age groups. Method From 310 referrals to a specialized unit in the management of early atherosclerosis, 222 individuals with a family history of premature CAD (defined as CAD events in first-degree family members, male<55 and female<65) and aged between 35 and 55 were enrolled for assessment of their CAD risks. Individuals with possible, probably or definite familial hypercholesterolemia were excluded. In addition to clinical and risk factor evaluation, cardiac CT and CACS were performed in select individuals, at the discretion of the treating physician. Results Of the 141 (59% male, mean age 45.9±6.0 year) individuals that completed clinical evaluation, 65 (73% male, mean age 47.4±6.9 years) have subclinical atherosclerosis (defined by the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in any of the coronary artery segments in cardiac CT). Of them, 52 have CACS>0, giving an overall sensitivity of 80%. The breakdown by age group is shown in table 1. The sensitivity of CACS in detecting subclinical atherosclerosis is quite modest in younger individuals (60% in individuals <45 year-old) but improves with patient age (>85% in >45 years). Table 1. Sensitivity of CACS in different age groups Age group True Positive Fast Negative Sensitivity N (CAC+ CTCA+) (CAC+ CTCA−) (%) <40 6 4 60 10 41–45 7 4 55 11 46–50 19 3 86 22 51–55 20 1 95 21 Conclusion In younger individuals (<45 years) with family history of premature CAD, CACS is of limited sensitivity in detecting subclinical atherosclerosis, and should not be used to rule out CAD. Further studies are warranted.


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