Impact of age on coronary artery plaque progression and clinical outcome: A PARADIGM substudy

BACKGROUND

The association of age with coronary plaque dynamics is not well characterized by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).

METHODS

From a multinational registry of patients who underwent serial CCTA, 1153 subjects (61 ± 5 years old, 61.1% male) were analyzed. Annualized volume changes of total, fibrous, fibrofatty, necrotic core, and dense calcification plaque components of the whole heart were compared by age quartile groups. Clinical events, a composite of all-cause death, acute coronary syndrome, and any revascularization after 30 days of the initial CCTA, were also analyzed. Random forest analysis was used to define the relative importance of age on plaque progression.

RESULTS

With a 3.3-years' median interval between the two CCTA, the median annual volume changes of total plaque in each age quartile group was 7.8, 10.5, 10.8, and 12.1 mm³/year and for dense calcification, 2.5, 4.6, 5.4, and 7.1 mm³/year, both of which demonstrated a tendency to increase by age (p-for-trend = 0.001 and < 0.001, respectively). However, this tendency was not observed in any other plaque components. The annual volume changes of total plaque and dense calcification were also significantly different in the propensity score-matched lowest age quartile group versus the other age groups as was the composite clinical event (log-rank p = 0.003). In random forest analysis, age had comparable importance in the total plaque volume progression as other traditional factors.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of whole-heart plaque progression and dense calcification increases depending on age. Age is a significant factor in plaque growth, the importance of which is comparable to other traditional risk factors.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT02803411.

Fluorodeoxyglucose Applications in Cardiac PET: Viability, Inflammation, Infection, and Beyond

With its high temporal and spatial resolution and relatively low radiation exposure, positron emission tomography (PET) is increasingly being used in the management of cardiac patients, particularly those with inflammatory cardiomyopathies such as sarcoidosis. This review discusses the role of PET imaging in assessing myocardial viability, inflammatory cardiomyopathies, and endocarditis; describes the different protocols needed to acquire images for specific imaging tests; and examines imaging interpretation for each image dataset-including identification of the mismatch defect in viability imaging, which is associated with significant improvement in LV function after revascularization. We also review the role of fluorodeoxyglucose PET in cardiac sarcoidosis diagnosis, the complementary role of magnetic resonance imaging in inflammatory cardiomyopathy, and the emerging use of cardiac PET in prosthetic valve endocarditis.

Non-obstructive high-risk plaques increase the risk of future culprit lesions comparable to obstructive plaques without high-risk features: the ICONIC study

AIMS

High-risk plaque (HRP) and non-obstructive coronary artery disease independently predict adverse events, but their importance to future culprit lesions has not been resolved. We sought to determine in patients prior to confirmed acute coronary syndrome (ACS) the association between lesion percent diameter stenosis (%DS), and the absolute number and prevalence of HRP. The secondary objective was to examine the relative importance of non-obstructive HRP in future culprit lesions.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Within the ICONIC study, a nested case-control study of patients undergoing coronary computed tomographic angiography (coronary CT), we included ACS cases with culprit lesions confirmed by invasive coronary angiography and coregistered to baseline coronary CT. Quantitative CT was used to evaluate obstructive (≥50%) and non-obstructive (<50%) diameter stenosis, with HRP defined as ≥2 features of spotty calcification, positive remodelling, or low-attenuation plaque at baseline. A total of 234 patients with downstream ACS over 54 (interquartile range 5-525.5) days exhibited 198/898 plaques with HRP on coronary CT. While HRP was less prevalent in non-obstructive (19.7%, 161/819) than obstructive lesions (46.8%, 37/79, P < 0.001), non-obstructive plaque comprised 81.3% (161/198) of HRP lesions overall. Among the 128 patients with identifiable culprit lesion precursors, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 1.85 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-2.72] for HRP, with no interaction between %DS and HRP (P = 0.82). Compared to non-obstructive HRP lesions, obstructive lesions without HRP exhibited a non-significant HR of 1.41 (95% CI 0.61-3.25, P = 0.42).

CONCLUSIONS

While HRP is more prevalent among obstructive lesions, non-obstructive HRP lesions outnumber those that are obstructive and confer risk clinically approaching that of obstructive lesions without HRP.

Prognostic significance of subtle coronary calcification in patients with zero coronary artery calcium score: From the CONFIRM registry

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The Agatston coronary artery calcium score (CACS) may fail to identify small or less dense coronary calcification that can be detected on coronary CT angiography (CCTA). We investigated the prevalence and prognostic importance of subtle calcified plaques on CCTA among individuals with CACS 0.

METHODS

From the prospective multicenter CONFIRM registry, we evaluated patients without known CAD who underwent CAC scan and CCTA. CACS was categorized as 0, 1-10, 11-100, 101-400, and >400. Patients with CACS 0 were stratified according to the visual presence of coronary plaques on CCTA. Plaque composition was categorized as non-calcified (NCP), mixed (MP) and calcified (CP). The primary outcome was a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) which was defined as death and myocardial infarction.

RESULTS

Of 4049 patients, 1741 (43%) had a CACS 0. NCP and plaques that contained calcium (MP or CP) were detected by CCTA in 110 patients (6% of CACS 0) and 64 patients (4% of CACS 0), respectively. During a 5.6 years median follow-up (IQR 5.1-6.2 years), 413 MACE events occurred (13%). Patients with CACS 0 and MP/CP detected by CCTA had similar MACE risk compared to patients with CACS 1-10 (p = 0.868). In patients with CACS 0, after adjustment for risk factors and symptom, MP/CP was associated with an increased MACE risk compared to those with entirely normal CCTA (HR 2.39, 95% CI [1.09-5.24], p = 0.030).

CONCLUSIONS

A small but non-negligible proportion of patients with CACS 0 had identifiable coronary calcification, which was associated with increased MACE risk. Modifying CAC image acquisition and/or scoring methods could improve the detection of subtle coronary calcification.

Worldwide Diagnostic Reference Levels for Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Myocardial Perfusion Imaging: Findings From INCAPS

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to establish worldwide and regional diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) and achievable administered activities (AAAs) for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI).

BACKGROUND

Reference levels serve as radiation dose benchmarks to compare individual laboratories against aggregated data, helping to identify sites in greatest need of dose reduction interventions. DRLs for SPECT MPI have previously been derived from national or regional registries. To date there have been no multiregional reports of DRLs for SPECT MPI from a single standardized dataset.

METHODS

Data were submitted voluntarily to the INCAPS (International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear Cardiology Protocols Study), a cross-sectional, multinational registry of MPI protocols. A total of 7,103 studies were included. DRLs and AAAs were calculated by protocol for each world region and for aggregated worldwide data.

RESULTS

The aggregated worldwide DRLs for rest-stress or stress-rest studies employing technetium Tc 99m-labeled radiopharmaceuticals were 11.2 mCi (first dose) and 32.0 mCi (second dose) for 1-day protocols, and 23.0 mCi (first dose) and 24.0 mCi (second dose) for multiday protocols. Corresponding AAAs were 10.1 mCi (first dose) and 28.0 mCi (second dose) for 1-day protocols, and 17.8 mCi (first dose) and 18.7 mCi (second dose) for multiday protocols. For stress-only technetium Tc 99m studies, the worldwide DRL and AAA were 18.0 mCi and 12.5 mCi, respectively. Stress-first imaging was used in 26% to 92% of regional studies except in North America where it was used in just 7% of cases. Significant differences in DRLs and AAAs were observed between regions.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reports reference levels for SPECT MPI for each major world region from one of the largest international registries of clinical MPI studies. Regional DRLs may be useful in establishing or revising guidelines or simply comparing individual laboratory protocols to regional trends. Organizations should continue to focus on establishing standardized reporting methods to improve the validity and comparability of regional DRLs.

Cardiac Imaging for Coronary Heart Disease Risk Stratification in Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), defined as dysfunction of the glomerular filtration apparatus, is an independent risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with CKD are at a substantially higher risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with the age- and sex-adjusted general population with normal kidney function. The risk of CAD and mortality in patients with CKD is correlated with the degree of renal dysfunction including presence of microalbuminuria. A greater cardiovascular risk, albeit lower than for patients receiving dialysis, persists even after kidney transplantation. Congestive heart failure, commonly caused by CAD, also accounts for a significant portion of the cardiovascular-related events observed in CKD. The optimal strategy for the evaluation of CAD in patients with CKD, particularly before renal transplantation, remains a topic of contention spanning over several decades. Although the evaluation of coexisting cardiac disease in patients with CKD is desirable, severe renal dysfunction limits the use of radiographic and magnetic resonance contrast agents due to concerns regarding contrast-induced nephropathy and nephrogenic systemic sclerosis, respectively. In addition, many patients with CKD have extensive and premature (often medial) calcification disproportionate to the severity of obstructive CAD, thereby limiting the diagnostic value of computed tomography angiography. As such, echocardiography, non-contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance, nuclear myocardial perfusion, and metabolic imaging offer a variety of approaches to assess obstructive CAD and cardiomyopathy of advanced CKD without the need for nephrotoxic contrast agents.

Abstract 4348: Cardiorespiratory fitness levels in men who develop prostate cancer and its association with all-cause mortality

Background: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with a reduction in both cancer- and cardiovascular-specific mortality. In men however, little is known about the impact of pre-diagnostic CRF on mortality after prostate cancer. We hypothesized that among men with prostate cancer, low levels of CRF, measured prior to diagnosis, are associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality.

Methods: From the Henry Ford FIT Project, a cohort of 37,730 men who underwent clinically-indicated exercise stress test from 1991 through 2009, we identified 1,440 men who developed prostate cancer after stress test. CRF was measured in peak metabolic equivalents of task (METs) and categorized as less than 6, 6 to 9, 10 to 11, and at least 12 (reference). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were developed to evaluate the association between CRF, measured prior to prostate cancer diagnosis, and all-cause mortality. Models were adjusted for age at prostate cancer diagnosis (baseline), race, BMI, current aspirin and statin use, smoking history, hypertension, diabetes, prior cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction and heart failure), time from stress test to prostate cancer diagnosis, and cancer stage (local, regional, distant) at diagnosis.

Results: Mean age at time of stress test was 61 +/- 9 yr (57% white, 39% black), with 7 (+/-4) yrs of follow up after prostate cancer diagnosis. 81% of men were diagnosed with localized prostate cancer; 15% with regional disease, and 2% with distant metastatic disease. Mean time from stress test to diagnosis was 6 +/- 5 yrs. Mean METs achieved was 9 (+/- 3). Patients with low fitness (METs less than 6) before diagnosis had 2.6 times the risk of all-cause mortality (95% CI 1.6-4.2) compared to those with high fitness (METS at least 12). Those with CRF of 6-9 METs had 1.9 times the risk (95% CI 1.2-3.0). The risk of mortality was not different between the two highest fitness groups (P= 0.71; P for trend across all fitness groups less than 0.01). Results were similar when stratified by race.

Conclusion: Low CRF prior to the diagnosis of prostate cancer in men is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality. This study highlights the prognostic importance of fitness even before a cancer diagnosis.

Citation Format: Cara Reiter-Brennan, Omar Dzaye, Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, Zeina Dardari, Clinton A. Brawner, Lois E. Lamerato, Steven J. Keteyian, Jonathan K. Ehrman, Kala Visvanathan, Michael J. Blaha, Catherine Handy Marshall. Cardiorespiratory fitness levels in men who develop prostate cancer and its association with all-cause mortality [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4348.

Abstract 5773: Cardiorespiratory fitness and PSA screening patterns in the Henry Ford FIT Project

Background: High levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) have been associated with a decreased risk of many cancers, but the association with prostate cancer (PCa) is less clear. A possible explanation for the lack of consistency is that prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening and in turn prostate cancer detection is more frequent in men with higher fitness although the relationship between fitness and PSA screening is not established.

Methods: The Henry Ford (HF) FIT Project is a retrospective cohort study of 69,894 consecutive patients who underwent physician-referred exercise stress testing from 1991 through 2009. Cancer diagnosis was identified through linkage to the HF tumor registry. We included men aged 40-70 yr who had CRF testing beginning in 1995 (when PSA screening became widespread), without prevalent cancer, followed at least 3 yrs and up to 10 years, who never develop prostate cancer (n=12,442). CRF was measured in metabolic equivalents of task (METs) and categorized as less than 6 (ref), 6-9, 10-11, and at least 12. PSA values were abstracted from the HF electronic medical record between 1995 and 2010. Individuals with at least 3 screening PSA tests were categorized as high screeners. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between CRF and high PSA screeners, adjusted for age at stress test and race.

Results: Participants had a mean age of 54 ± 8 yrs (67% white; 25% black) and mean follow-up was 7±2 yrs. Compared to individuals with low fitness (less than 6 METs, reference), those with higher fitness (6-9, 10-11, at least 12 METs) had higher odds of being a high PSA screener (Table). When stratified by race, the OR for black patients were not statistically different than white patients (Table). Results were similar among those with comorbidities (myocardial infarction, heart failure, or diabetes) at baseline.

Odds ratio of being a high screener (at least 3 PSA tests) in individuals followed 3-10 yearsMETs categoryAll (n=12,442Whites (n=8,356Blacks (n=3,049)Patients w/comorbidities (n=3,924)&lt;6RefRefRefRef6-91.6(1.3-1.8)1.6(1.3-2.0)1.4(1.1-1.9)1.6(1.3-2.0)10-111.9(1.6-2.2)1.9(1.6-2.4)1.7(1.3-2.2)2.0(1.7-2.4)&gt;=122.4 (2.1-2.9)2.5(2.0-3.1)2.1(1.6-2.8)3.2(2.5-4.0)

Conclusion: High CRF is associated with more frequent PSA screening. This points towards a healthy screening bias and should be accounted for in studies looking at fitness and incident prostate cancer.

Citation Format: Cara Reiter-Brennan, Omar Dzaye, Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, Zeina Dardari, Clinton A. Brawner, Lois E. Lamerato, Steven J. Keteyian, Jonathan K. Ehrman, Kala Visvanathan, Michael J. Blaha, Catherine Handy Marshall. Cardiorespiratory fitness and PSA screening patterns in the Henry Ford FIT Project [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5773.

Per-lesion versus per-patient analysis of coronary artery disease in predicting the development of obstructive lesions: the Progression of AtheRosclerotic PlAque DetermIned by Computed TmoGraphic Angiography Imaging (PARADIGM) study

To determine whether the assessment of individual plaques is superior in predicting the progression to obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) on serial coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) than per-patient assessment. From a multinational registry of 2252 patients who underwent serial CCTA at a ≥ 2-year inter-scan interval, patients with only non-obstructive lesions at baseline were enrolled. CCTA was quantitatively analyzed at both the per-patient and per-lesion level. Models predicting the development of an obstructive lesion at follow up using either the per-patient or per-lesion level CCTA measures were constructed and compared. From 1297 patients (mean age 60 ± 9 years, 43% men) enrolled, a total of 3218 non-obstructive lesions were identified at baseline. At follow-up (inter-scan interval: 3.8 ± 1.6 years), 76 lesions (2.4%, 60 patients) became obstructive, defined as > 50% diameter stenosis. The C-statistics of Model 1, adjusted only by clinical risk factors, was 0.684. The addition of per-patient level total plaque volume (PV) and the presence of high-risk plaque (HRP) features to Model 1 improved the C-statistics to 0.825 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.823-0.827]. When per-lesion level PV and the presence of HRP were added to Model 1, the predictive value of the model improved the C-statistics to 0.895 [95% CI 0.893-0.897]. The model utilizing per-lesion level CCTA measures was superior to the model utilizing per-patient level CCTA measures in predicting the development of an obstructive lesion (p < 0.001). Lesion-level analysis of coronary atherosclerotic plaques with CCTA yielded better predictive power for the development of obstructive CAD than the simple quantification of total coronary atherosclerotic burden at a per-patient level.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT0280341.

Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Using Positron Emission Tomography

Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as ischemic heart disease, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and timely noninvasive diagnosis of clinical and subclinical CAD is imperative to mitigate its burden on individual patients and populations. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a versatile tool that can perform relative myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with high accuracy; furthermore, it provides valuable information about the coronary microvasculature using rest and stress myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) measurements. Several radiotracers are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to help with MPI, MBF, and CFR evaluation. A large body of evidence indicates that evaluation of the coronary microcirculation using MBF and CFR provides strong diagnostic and prognostic data in a multitude of patient populations. This review describes the technical aspects of PET compared to other modalities and discusses its clinical uses for diagnosis and prognosis of coronary arterial epicardial and microcirculatory disease.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Incident Stroke Types: The FIT (Henry Ford ExercIse Testing) Project

OBJECTIVE

To study the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and incident stroke types.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We studied a retrospective cohort of patients referred for treadmill stress testing in the Henry Ford Health System (Henry Ford ExercIse Testing Project) without history of stroke. CRF was expressed by metabolic equivalents of task (METs). Using appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes, incident stroke was ascertained through linkage with administrative claims files and classified as ischemic, hemorrhagic, and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models examined the association between CRF and incident stroke.

RESULTS

Among 67,550 patients, mean ± SD age was 54±13 years, 46% (n=31,089) were women, and 64% (n=43,274) were white. After a median follow-up of 5.4 (interquartile range 2.7-8.5) years, a total of 7512 incident strokes occurred (6320 ischemic, 2481 hemorrhagic, and 275 SAH). Overall, there was a graded lower incidence of stroke with higher MET categories. Patients with METs of 12 or more had lower risk of overall stroke [0.42 (95% CI, 0.36-0.49)], ischemic stroke [0.69 (95% CI, 0.58-0.82)], and hemorrhagic stroke [0.71 (95% CI, 0.52-0.95)].

CONCLUSION

In a large ethnically diverse cohort of patients referred for treadmill stress testing, CRF is inversely associated with risk for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.

The role of cardiac imaging in the management of non-ischemic cardiovascular diseases in human immunodeficiency virus infection

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become the pandemic of the new century. About 36.9 million people are living with HIV worldwide. The introduction of antiretroviral therapy in 1996 has dramatically changed the global landscape of HIV care, resulting in significantly improved survival and changing HIV to a chronic disease. With near-normal life expectancy, contemporary cardiac care faces multiple challenges of cardiovascular diseases, disorders specific to HIV/AIDS, and those related to aging and higher prevalence of traditional risk factors. Non-ischemic cardiovascular diseases are major components of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in HIV/AIDS. Non-invasive cardiac imaging plays a pivotal role in the management of these diseases. This review summarizes the non-ischemic presentation of the HIV cardiovascular spectrum focusing on the role of cardiac imaging in the management of these disorders.

The association of fitness and body mass index (BMI) on all-cause mortality in cancer survivors: The Henry Ford Exercise Testing Project (The FIT Project)

7060

Background: The obesity paradox –i.e. inverse associations between body mass index (BMI) and mortality – has been reported in patients with cancer, heart failure, and diabetes. However, the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on this relationship is not well established. This study assesses the association of BMI and CRF with all-cause mortality among cancer patients. Methods: The Henry Ford (HF) FIT Project is a retrospective cohort study of 69,885 consecutive patients who underwent physician-referred exercise stress testing from 1991 through 2009. Cancer diagnosis was identified through linkage to the HF tumor registry. We included patients 40-70 years old, with BMI recorded, at time of exercise test, with a history of cancer > 6 months prior. BMI was categorized as normal (18.5-24.9kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9kg/m2), or obese ( > = 30kg/m2). All-cause mortality was obtained from the National Death Index. Because of a significant interaction between BMI and cancer type, patients with breast or prostate cancer were excluded. Multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the association of CRF andBMI with all-cause mortality; adjusted for age at exercise test, sex, diabetes, smoking, cancer stage, and time from cancer diagnosis to exercise test. Results: Included were 676 patients with a mean age of 58 years (SD 7.5), 51% female, 70% White, 25% Black, with a median of 4.8 years from diagnosis to exercise test and median follow up time of 10.3 years. Among patients achieving < 10 METs, those who are overweight and obese had a lower risk of mortality HR 0.47 (95% CI 0.25,0.86) and HR 0.44 (95% CI 0.26, 0.74, respectively), compared to those with normal BMI. Among patients with METs > = 10, those who were overweight had the lowest risk of all-cause mortality (HR 0.23, 95% CI 0.09-0.62) compared to normal weight, while no statistically significant different risk of mortality was observed when comparing those who are obese to normal weight (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.13-1.06). In an analysis combining BMI and fitness groups (four categories), those with BMI > = 25 and METs > = 10 had the lowest risk of all-cause mortality (Table). Conclusions: In non-breast/non-prostate cancer patients, increased BMI is associated with improved overall survival in those with METs < 10, while a U-shaped relationship between BMI and all-cause mortality exists among those with METs > = 10. [Table: see text]

Coronary atherosclerosis scoring with semiquantitative CCTA risk scores for prediction of major adverse cardiac events: Propensity score-based analysis of diabetic and non-diabetic patients

AIMS

We aimed to compare semiquantitative coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) risk scores - which score presence, extent, composition, stenosis and/or location of coronary artery disease (CAD) - and their prognostic value between patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). Risk scores derived from general chest-pain populations are often challenging to apply in DM patients, because of numerous confounders.

METHODS

Out of a combined cohort from the Leiden University Medical Center and the CONFIRM registry with 5-year follow-up data, we performed a secondary analysis in diabetic patients with suspected CAD who were clinically referred for CCTA. A total of 732 DM patients was 1:1 propensity-matched with 732 non-DM patients by age, sex and cardiovascular risk factors. A subset of 7 semiquantitative CCTA risk scores was compared between groups: 1) any stenosis ≥50%, 2) any stenosis ≥70%, 3) stenosis-severity component of the coronary artery disease-reporting and data system (CAD-RADS), 4) segment involvement score (SIS), 5) segment stenosis score (SSS), 6) CT-adapted Leaman score (CT-LeSc), and 7) Leiden CCTA risk score. Cox-regression analysis was performed to assess the association between the scores and the primary endpoint of all-cause death and non-fatal myocardial infarction. Also, area under the receiver-operating characteristics curves were compared to evaluate discriminatory ability.

RESULTS

A total of 1,464 DM and non-DM patients (mean age 58 ± 12 years, 40% women) underwent CCTA and 155 (11%) events were documented after median follow-up of 5.1 years. In DM patients, the 7 semiquantitative CCTA risk scores were significantly more prevalent or higher as compared to non-DM patients (p ≤ 0.022). All scores were independently associated with the primary endpoint in both patients with and without DM (p ≤ 0.020), with non-significant interaction between the scores and diabetes (interaction p ≥ 0.109). Discriminatory ability of the Leiden CCTA risk score in DM patients was significantly better than any stenosis ≥50% and ≥70% (p = 0.003 and p = 0.007, respectively), but comparable to the CAD-RADS, SIS, SSS and CT-LeSc that also focus on the extent of CAD (p ≥ 0.265).

CONCLUSION

Coronary atherosclerosis scoring with semiquantitative CCTA risk scores incorporating the total extent of CAD discriminate major adverse cardiac events well, and might be useful for risk stratification of patients with DM beyond the binary evaluation of obstructive stenosis alone.