Abstract 2594: Coronary Multidetector Computed Tomography in the Prognostic Assessment of Patients with Equivocal or Mildly Abnormal Non-Invasive Cardiac Stress Tests

Circulation ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 116 (suppl_16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clerio Azevedo ◽  
Mariane Spotti ◽  
Sabrina Bezerra ◽  
Marcelo Hadlich ◽  
Humberto Villacorta ◽  
...  

Background: Patients with low or moderate pre-test probability of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) and equivocal or mildly abnormal non-invasive cardiac stress tests represent a frequent management challenge. Coronary multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has been shown to have excellent diagnostic accuracy to exclude the presence of significant CAD. Methods: The study included 218 patients (mean age 59±12 years, 60% male) with equivocal or mildly abnormal exercise electrocardiography (n=93), stress SPECT perfusion scans (n=121), stress echocardiography (n=3) and stress cardiac MRI (n=1). Patients were either asymptomatic (n=113) or had atypical chest pain (n=105). All patients underwent contrast-enhanced 64-slice MDCT coronary angiography and datasets were evaluated for the presence of coronary atherosclerotic plaques and significant coronary artery stenosis. Patients were followed for 8±3 months and the endpoints evaluated were: cardiac death, myocardial infarction, revascularization procedure performed >3 months after MDCT coronary angiography and unstable angina requiring hospitalization. Results: MDCT coronary angiography was either normal (n=90; 41%), demonstrated non-obstructive coronary atherosclerotic plaques (n=66; 30%) or exhibited significant coronary stenosis (n=62; 29%). Event-free survival was 100% for patients with normal coronary angiography, 98% for patients with non-obstructive plaques and 92% for patients with coronary stenosis (log-rank test P=0.01). One patient with a non-obstructive plaque involving the left main coronary artery died following an AMI (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.04 to 3.24). Among patients with coronary stenosis, 3 underwent revascularization procedures and 2 died (hazard ratio, 12.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.47 to 107.86). Conclusion: Among patients with equivocal or mildly abnormal non-invasive cardiac stress tests, a normal MDCT coronary angiography is associated with a very low risk for subsequent cardiac events. Further studies are necessary to determine the clinical significance of non-obstructive atherosclerotic plaques detected by MDCT coronary angiography in this patient population.

2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Mir-Akbari ◽  
J. Ripsweden ◽  
J. Jensen ◽  
P. Pichler ◽  
C. Sylvén ◽  
...  

Background: Recently, 64-detector-row computed tomography coronary angiography (CTA) has been introduced for the noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic capacity and limitations of a newly established CTA service. Material and Methods: In 101 outpatients with suspected coronary artery disease, 64-detector-row CTA (VCT Lightspeed 64; GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, Wisc., USA) was performed before invasive coronary angiography (ICA). The presence of >50% diameter coronary stenosis on CTA was rated by two radiologists recently trained in CTA, and separately by an experienced colleague. Diagnostic performance of CTA was calculated on segment, vessel, and patient levels, using ICA as a reference. Segments with a proximal reference diameter <2 mm or with stents were not analyzed. Results: In 51 of 101 patients and 121 of 1280 segments, ICA detected coronary stenosis. In 274 of 1280 (21%) segments, CTA had non-diagnostic image quality, the main reasons being severe calcifications (49%), motion artifacts associated with high or irregular heart rate (45%), and low contrast opacification (14%). Significantly more women (43%) had non-diagnostic scans compared to men (20%). A heart rate above 60 beats per minute was associated with significantly more non-diagnostic patients (38% vs. 18%). In the 1006 diagnostic segments, CTA had a sensitivity of 78%, specificity of 95%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 54%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 98% for detecting significant coronary stenosis. In 29 patients, CTA was non-diagnostic. In the remaining 72 patients, sensitivity was 100%, specificity 65%, PPV 79%, and NPV 100%. The use of a more experienced CTA reader did not improve diagnostic performance. Conclusion: CTA had a very high negative predictive value, but the number of non-diagnostic scans was high, especially in women. The main limitations were motion artifacts and vessel calcifications, while short experience in CTA did not influence the interpretation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 538-539
Author(s):  
H. Huang ◽  
Z. Zhang

Background:Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis that typically affects medium-sized muscular arteries, with occasional involvement of small muscular arteries[1]. Although overt myocardial infarction is uncommon, myocardial ischemia may result from narrowing or occlusion of the coronary arteries[2].Objectives:Herein, we report a case with 7-year’s history of PAN and unstable angina pectoris due to coronary occlusions of the three main arteries. We also reviewed the literatures regarding coronary artery involvement in PAN.Methods:A 22-year-old Chinese man who presented with chest pain lasting for a few minutes and then subsiding spontaneously for 1 month was admitted to our hospital. He was diagnosed as PAN 7 years ago and during 7-years’ follow-up, he has been in stable condition, without any discomfort or abnormal laboratory findings. In December 2019, he suffered from chest distress accompanied by retrosternal pain, with frequency of about 2-3 times a week. His symptoms were gradually aggravating with dyspnea at night.Results:Coronary computed tomography angiography showed diffuse coronary stenosis (Fig. 1). Further coronary angiography revealed a slight plaque infiltration of the left main coronary artery, and occlusion of all the three major coronary arteries, as well as multiple coronary aneurysms. 95% stenosis of the obtuse margin branch artery was also found and a stent was then implanted (Fig. 2). Prednisone 50mg/day and methotrexate 15mg/week were reinitiated, in combination with anti-anginal medications including aspirin and statin.Fig. 1Coronary computed tomography angiography found diffuse coronary stenosis.Fig. 2Coronary angiography. (a) A 50% stenosis followed by aneurysmal change of the proximal end of left anterior descending (LAD) artery, and totally occluded from the middle segment; A aneurysmal change of the initial part of left circumflex artery (LCX) and then totally occluded (dotted line); A 95% stenosis obtuse margin branch. (b) A totally occluded right coronary artery (dotted line). (c) Final appearance of the LCX after stent implantation.After we reviewed all the English literatures reporting cardiac involvements in adults with PAN from 1990 to 2019, a total of 34 patients from 32 articles were identified. 25 (73.5%) patients were admitted to hospital due to acute coronary syndromes manifesting as chest pain or dyspnea. Coronary stenosis or occlusions were most common on imaging or autopsy. Most of the patients had more than one vessel involved, of whom 7 patients showed evidence of triple vessel lesions. Aneurysm was also common in these patients, especially multiple aneurysms. Spontaneous coronary artery dissections were rare in PAN patients. Most patients received glucocorticoid, and/or immunosuppressant therapy, including cyclophosphamide and azathioprine, with or without invasive operations. 15 patients died from cardiopulmonary arrest, the most frequent cause being death, and 15 patients were stable without symptoms after treatment.Conclusion:We report a young PAN patient with insidious stenosis of three main coronary arteries under the circumstance of stable disease activity for years. This reminds us of the necessity of assessing heart, probably other organs as well, in PAN patients even though their acute phase reactants in serum are normal. But how often to do the screening and which screening examination should be done, remain to be further investigated.References:[1]Jennette, J.C., et al.,2012 revised International Chapel Hill Consensus Conference Nomenclature of Vasculitides.Arthritis Rheum, 2013.65(1): p. 1-11.[2]Kastner, D., M. Gaffney, and T. Tak,Polyarteritis nodosa and myocardial infarction.Can J Cardiol, 2000.16(4): p. 515-8.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


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