Utilidad de la coronariografía no invasiva por tomografía computarizada en pacientes asintomáticos

Long-term risk of cardiovascular events after detecting silent coronary atheromatosis using computed tomography

BACKGROUND

Coronary calcium score (CCS) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) assessments using multidetector computed tomography are invaluable for atheromatosis screening. We studied their usefulness in cardiovascular risk assessments, and compared evaluations using the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) algorithm with those from CTA and CSS assessments in terms of their ability to predict cardiovascular events in Mediterranean patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Two hundred and sixty-six asymptomatic patients whose mean age was 55.4 years, 89.5% of whom were men, were evaluated using CTA and CCS and followed for more than 10 years. The CTA and CCS risk predictions were compared with those determined using the SCORE algorithm designed for low-risk populations.

RESULTS

Coronary lesions were present in 140 (53.4%) patients. Of the lesions, 17% were noncalcified, 17% were mixed, and 66% were calcified; in addition, 24.2% of the patients who had lesions had cardiovascular events during follow-up (P<0.00001), but just 2.9% of the patients without lesions. Detection of atheromatosis using computed tomography was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease events at more than 10 years [odds ratio (OR): 6.828; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.001-23.305; P=0.002]. This OR was higher than that obtained for intermediate-risk individuals (OR: 4.818; 95% CI: 1.360-17.075; P=0.015) and lower than that determined for high-risk individuals (OR: 9.395; 95% CI: 2.489-35.460; P=0.001) using the SCORE algorithm, and higher that that determined for CCS assessments (OR: 3.916; 95% CI: 1.572-9.751; P=0.03). More cardiovascular events were associated with higher amounts of calcium.

CONCLUSION

The detection of atheromatosis using the CCS and CTA was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events at more than 10 years. CTA and CCS assessments had a higher OR than that associated with assessments of patients at intermediate risk using the SCORE algorithm.

Exercise echocardiography and multidetector computed tomography for the evaluation of acute chest pain

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Up to 4% of patients with acute chest pain, normal electrocardiogram, and negative troponins present major adverse cardiac events as a result of undiagnosed acute coronary syndrome. Our aim was to compare the diagnostic performance of multidetector computed tomography and exercise echocardiography in patients with a low-to-intermediate probability of coronary artery disease.

METHODS

We prospectively included 69 patients with acute chest pain, normal electrocardiogram, and negative troponins who underwent coronary tomography angiography and exercise echocardiography. Patients with coronary stenosis ≥ 50% or Agatston calcium score ≥ 400 on coronary tomography angiography or positive exercise echocardiography, or with inconclusive results, were admitted to rule out acute coronary syndrome.

RESULTS

An acute coronary syndrome was confirmed in 17 patients (24.6%). This was lower than the suspected 42% based on coronary tomography angiography (P<.05) and not significantly different than the suspected 29% based on the results of exercise echocardiography (P=.56). Exercise echocardiography was normal in up to 37% of patients with pathological findings on coronary tomography angiography. The latter technique provided a higher sensitivity (100% vs 82.3%; P=.21) but lower specificity (76.9% vs 88.4%; P=.12) than exercise echocardiography for the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, although without reaching statistical significance. Increasing the stenosis cutoff point to 70% increased the specificity of coronary tomography angiography to 88.4%, while maintaining high sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Coronary tomography angiography offers a valid alternative to exercise echocardiography for the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome among patients with low-to-intermediate probability of coronary artery disease. A combination of both techniques could improve the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome.