Units

PubMed

Doi

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Citation

Type

Journal

Publication Date

Issn Electronic

Pages

Brief description/objective

OBJECTIVE
To prospectively examine coronary artery plaques as predictors of myocardial ischaemia using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR).

METHODS
Fifty-two patients (46 men; age 64 ± 10) with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) referred for catheter coronary angiography (CA) underwent CMR and computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). All coronary segments were evaluated for morphological stenosis based on CA. Any plaque according to its composition was assessed based on CTCA.

RESULTS
Numbers of total and calcified coronary artery plaques represented the best predictors of myocardial ischaemia (AUC = 0.87; [95%CI: 0.77-0.97] and AUC = 0.87; [95%CI: 0.77-0.96], respectively, p = 0.56) with the total plaque number significantly higher in patients with corresponding ischaemia than those without (p < 0.01, p < 0.05 adjusted for pre-test probability and stenosis). Compared with the AUC of coronary stenosis assessment by CA (AUC = 0.90; [95%CI: 0.80-1.00]), AUCs were equivalent using either the total number or the number of calcified plaques alone (p = 0.73 and p = 0.69). Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated the total plaque number as an independent predictor of ischaemia (odds +20%; [95%CI: 1.096-1.368]), improving a model including clinical probability estimates of CAD (c-statistics, 0.66 to 0.89).

CONCLUSION
Coronary artery plaque number according to CTCA is a significant, independent predictor of myocardial ischaemia with similar accuracy to stenosis assessment.