Dataset Information

Coronary plaque burden, as determined by cardiac computed tomography, in patients with myocardial infarction and angiographically normal coronary arteries compared to healthy volunteers: a prospective multicenter observational study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction and angiographically normal coronary arteries (MINCA) represent a diagnostic and a therapeutic challenge. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) allows detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) even in the absence of significant stenosis. We aimed to investigate whether patients suffering from MINCA had a greater coronary plaque burden, as determined by cardiac CT, than a matched group of healthy volunteers.

Methods

Consecutive patients, aged 45 to 70, with MINCA were enrolled in the Stockholm metropolitan area. Patients with myocarditis were excluded using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Remaining patients underwent cardiac CT, as did a reference group of healthy volunteers matched by age and gender, with no known cardiovascular disease. Plaque burden was evaluated semi-quantitatively on a per patient and a per segment level.

Results

Despite a higher prevalence of smoking and hypertension, patients with MINCA did not have more CAD than healthy volunteers. Among 57 MINCA patients and 58 volunteers no signs of CAD were found in 24 (42%) and 25 (43%) respectively. On a per segment level, MINCA patients had less segments with stenosis ? 20% (2% vs. 5%, p<0.01), as well as a smaller proportion of large (2% vs. 4%, p<0.05) and mixed type plaques (1% vs. 4%, p<0.01). The median coronary calcium score did not differ between MINCA patients and healthy volunteers (6 vs. 8, ns).

Conclusions

MINCA patients with no or minimal angiographic stenosis do not have more coronary atherosclerosis than healthy volunteers, and a large proportion of these patients do not have any signs of CAD, as determined by cardiac CT. The MINCA patient group is probably heterogeneous, with a variety of different underlying mechanisms. Non-obstructive CAD is most likely not the most prevalent cause of myocardial infarction in this patient group.

SUBMITTER: Brolin EB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4061030 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Coronary plaque burden, as determined by cardiac computed tomography, in patients with myocardial infarction and angiographically normal coronary arteries compared to healthy volunteers: a prospective multicenter observational study.

Brolin Elin B EB Jernberg Tomas T Brismar Torkel B TB Daniel Maria M Henareh Loghman L Ripsweden Jonaz J Tornvall Per P Cederlund Kerstin K

PloS one 20140617 6

<h4>Objectives</h4>Patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction and angiographically normal coronary arteries (MINCA) represent a diagnostic and a therapeutic challenge. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) allows detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) even in the absence of significant stenosis. We aimed to investigate whether patients suffering from MINCA had a greater coronary plaque burden, as determined by cardiac CT, than a matched group of healthy volunteers.<h4>Methods</h4>Consec ...[more]

PMID: 24937192

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Project description:BackgroundThe future risk of myocardial infarction is commonly assessed using cardiovascular risk scores, coronary artery calcium score, or coronary artery stenosis severity. We assessed whether noncalcified low-attenuation plaque burden on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) might be a better predictor of the future risk of myocardial infarction.MethodsIn a post hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized controlled trial of CCTA in patients with stable chest pain, we investigated the association between the future risk of fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction and low-attenuation plaque burden (% plaque to vessel volume), cardiovascular risk score, coronary artery calcium score or obstructive coronary artery stenoses.ResultsIn 1769 patients (56% male; 58±10 years) followed up for a median 4.7 (interquartile interval, 4.0-5.7) years, low-attenuation plaque burden correlated weakly with cardiovascular risk score (r=0.34; P<0.001), strongly with coronary artery calcium score (r=0.62; P<0.001), and very strongly with the severity of luminal coronary stenosis (area stenosis, r=0.83; P<0.001). Low-attenuation plaque burden (7.5% [4.8-9.2] versus 4.1% [0-6.8]; P<0.001), coronary artery calcium score (336 [62-1064] versus 19 [0-217] Agatston units; P<0.001), and the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease (54% versus 25%; P<0.001) were all higher in the 41 patients who had fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction. Low-attenuation plaque burden was the strongest predictor of myocardial infarction (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.60 (95% CI, 1.10-2.34) per doubling; P=0.014), irrespective of cardiovascular risk score, coronary artery calcium score, or coronary artery area stenosis. Patients with low-attenuation plaque burden greater than 4% were nearly 5 times more likely to have subsequent myocardial infarction (hazard ratio, 4.65; 95% CI, 2.06-10.5; P<0.001).ConclusionsIn patients presenting with stable chest pain, low-attenuation plaque burden is the strongest predictor of fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction. These findings challenge the current perception of the supremacy of current classical risk predictors for myocardial infarction, including stenosis severity. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01149590.

Project description:ImportancePericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) computed tomography (CT) attenuation measured from coronary CT angiography (CTA) may be a promising metric in identifying high-risk plaques.ObjectiveTo determine whether high-risk plaque characteristics from coronary CTA are associated with PCAT CT attenuation in patients with a first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and matched controls with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective, single-center case-control study (data were acquired at the University of Erlangen from 2009-2010) analyzed the CTA data sets of 19 patients who presented with ACS and 16 controls with stable CAD who were matched based on sex, age, and risk factors. Study observers were blinded to patients' clinical data. Semiautomated software was used to quantify and characterize plaques. The CT attenuation (Hounsfield unit [HU]) of PCAT was automatically measured around all lesions.Main outcomes and measuresTo investigate the association between high-risk plaque characteristics from CTA and PCAT CT attenuation as a novel surrogate measure of coronary inflammation.ResultsA total of 35 patients (mean [SD] age, 59.5 [11.3] years; 30 men [86%] and 5 women [14%]) were included in the analysis. Low- and intermediate-attenuation noncalcified plaque (NCP) burden were increased in culprit lesions (n = 19) compared with both nonculprit lesions (n = 55) in patients with ACS (12.6% vs 3.6%; P < .001; 38.4% vs 19.4%; P < .001) and the control group's highest-grade stenosis lesions (n = 16) (12.6% vs 5.6%; P = .002; 38.4% vs 22.1%; P < .001). Pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation was increased around culprit lesions (n = 19) compared with nonculprit lesions (n = 55) in patients with ACS (-69.1 HU vs -74.8 HU; P = .01) and highest-grade stenosis lesions in control patients (n = 16) (-69.1 HU vs -76.4 HU; P = .01). Pericoronary adipose tissue CT attenuation of all lesions in patients with ACS (n = 74) correlated more strongly with intermediate-attenuation (r = 0.393; P = .001) over low-attenuation (r = 0.221; P = .06) and high-attenuation NCP burden (r = -0.103; P = .38). In a multivariable analysis, low- and intermediate-attenuation NCP burden and PCAT CT attenuation were independently associated with the presence of culprit lesions (P < .05).Conclusions and relevancePericoronary CT attenuation was increased around culprit lesions compared with nonculprit lesions of patients with ACS and the lesions of matched controls. Combined quantitative high-risk plaque features and PCAT CT attenuation may allow for a more reliable identification of vulnerable plaques.

Dataset Information

Coronary plaque burden, as determined by cardiac computed tomography, in patients with myocardial infarction and angiographically normal coronary arteries compared to healthy volunteers: a prospective multicenter observational study.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Coronary plaque burden, as determined by cardiac computed tomography, in patients with myocardial infarction and angiographically normal coronary arteries compared to healthy volunteers: a prospective multicenter observational study.

Similar Datasets

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