Importance of Visual Estimation of Coronary Artery Stenoses and Use of Functional Evaluation for Appropriate Guidance of Coronary Revascularization—Multiple Operator Evaluation

Background: Visual estimation (VE) of coronary stenoses is the first step during invasive coronary angiography. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of VE together with invasive functional assessment (IFA) in defining the functional significance (FS) of coronary stenoses based on the opinion of multiple operators. Methods: Fourteen independent operators visually evaluated 133 coronary lesions which had a previous FFR measurement, indicating the degree of stenosis (DS), FS and IFA intention. We determined the accuracy of FS prediction using several scenarios combining individual and group decision, considering IFA as deemed necessary by the operator or only in intermediate lesions. Results: The accuracy of VE in predicting FS was largely variable between operators (average 66.1%); it improved significantly when IFA was used either as per operator’s opinion (86.3%; p < 0.0001) or only in intermediate DS (82.9; p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference between using IFA per observer’s opinion or only in intermediate DS lesions (p = 0.166). The poorest accuracy of VE for FS was obtained in intermediate DS lesions (59.1%). Conclusions: There are significant inter-observer differences in reporting the degree of DS, while the accuracy of VE prediction of FS is also largely dependent on the operator, and the worst performance is obtained in the evaluation of intermediate DS.

Reproductive History in Takotsubo Syndrome, A Register-Based Cohort Study

Background: Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is a recently recognized serious heart condition that mainly affects women. Despite that 80–90% of the patients are women, few studies have focused on sex-specific characteristics such as female sex hormones and reproductive history. The aim of the study was to compare reproductive history in patients with TS with controls.Methods: This register-based cohort study compared reproductive history and off-spring birth characteristics between 158 TS patients without coronary artery stenoses and 236 age- and sex-matched controls (C) with coronary artery stenoses because of acute coronary syndrome (ACS-C), respectively, 285 without coronary artery stenoses with chest pain (CP-C).Results: There were no differences in pregnancy complications between TS and CP-C. Gestational length did not differ, but infants born to TS patients had lower birth weight for gestational age than CP-C with an odds ratio of 1.7 (95% confidence interval 1.2–2.5) for infants born small.Conclusion: The results showing an association between birth weight for gestational age and TS later in life are hypothesis-generating. The association is not likely causal and before delivery of small for gestational age infants can be considered as a risk marker for TS later in life the results need to be confirmed in independent studies

Clinical Profile and Approach to Osteal LAD Lesion During Primary Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction (PAMI)

Isolated Coronary Artery Stenoses (CAS) involving the ostium of the Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery is very challenging, especially in a setting of primary Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction (PAMI). Intimal atherosclerosis in the Left Main Coronary Artery (LMCA) bifurcation is primarily in area of low shear stress which is the lateral wall, close to the LAD and Left Circumflex (LCx). Thus, carina is usually free of disease, which can explain why single-stent strategy can be successful. However, precise stent placement is often difficult due to unwanted stent movement within vessel or its proximity to side branches. A decision must be made at the outset, to decide on the approach to be employed, to treat osteal LAD lesions. Limited data is available on patients undergoing primary PCI of osteal LAD lesions. Here, we present our experience and problems encountered during the management of osteal LAD lesions in the setting of PAMI.

Functional cardiac CT–Going beyond Anatomical Evaluation of Coronary Artery Disease with Cine CT, CT-FFR, CT Perfusion and Machine Learning

The aim of this review is to provide an overview of different functional cardiac CT techniques which can be used to supplement assessment of the coronary arteries to establish the significance of coronary artery stenoses. We focus on cine-CT, CT-FFR, CT-myocardial perfusion and how developments in machine learning can supplement these techniques.