Screening for Ischemic Heart Disease with Cardiac CT: Current Recommendations

Epicardial and intra-thoracic adipose tissue and cardiovascular calcifications in type 1 diabetes (T1D) in epidemiology of diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC): A pilot study

Objective

Coronary artery, aortic valve, and descending aorta calcification (CAC, AVC, DAC) are manifestations of atherosclerosis, and cardiac epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) indicates heart adiposity. This study explored the association between cardiac adipose tissue and cardiovascular calcification in participants with long-standing T1D.

Methods

EAT and intra-thoracic adipose tissue (IAT) were measured in 100 T1D subjects with cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans in the EDIC study. Volume analysis software was used to measure fat volumes. Spearman correlations were calculated between CAC, AVC, DAC with EAT, and IAT. Associations were evaluated using multiple linear and logistic regression models.

Results

Participants ranged in age from 32 to 57. Mean EAT, and IAT were 38.5 and 50.8 mm3, respectively, and the prevalence of CAC, AVC, and DAC was 43.6 %, 4.7 %, and 26.8 %, respectively. CAC was positively correlated with age (p-value = 0.0001) and EAT (p-value = 0.0149) but not with AVC and DAC; IAT was not associated with calcified lesions. In models adjusted for age and sex, higher levels of EAT and IAT were associated with higher CAC (p-value < 0.0001 for both) and higher AVC (p-values of 0.0111 and 0.0053, respectively), but not with DAC. The associations with CAC remained significant (p-value < 0.0001) after further adjustment for smoking, systolic blood pressure, BMI, and LDL, while the associations with AVC did not remain significant.

Conclusion

In participants with T1D, higher EAT and IAT levels are correlated with higher CAC scores. EAT and IAT were not independently correlated with DAC or AVC.

Choosing between anatomy and function is not always evident for the heart of end-stage renal disease patients. How low can we go?

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at a very high risk of adverse cardiovascular events. In CKD patients, vascular calcification is more prevalent, appears at an earlier age, and is more severe than in the general population. CKD physiology rather than the effects of dialysis is the primary driver of microvascular disease in these patients. Considering the significant morbidity and mortality attributable to cardiovascular disease in the CKD population, risk stratification remains an important challenge. Topics such as function vs anatomy to properly risk stratify these patients, as well as future perspectives on non-invasive techniques, will be addressed.

The coronary artery calcification severity on postmortem CT could be a clue for the diagnosis of sudden cardiac death

About two-thirds of sudden deaths are sudden cardiac deaths (SCD), and ischemic heart disease (IHD) accounts for 60% of these. Although an autopsy needs to be performed to prove SCD, the forensic autopsy rate is very low in Japan. To diagnose the cause of death, postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) is often performed. Because coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a risk factor in cardiac diseases such as IHD and its severity can be evaluated with CT, we examined its ability to diagnose SCD. We collected 104 autopsy cases with CT scans. On the basis of the autopsy report, we separated the cases into two groups: SCD suspected as the cause of death and SCD not suspected. We calculated each CAC severity with the Agatston score from the CT images. Cases with Agatston scores of more than 400 were labeled as severe. The relationship between SCD and CAC severity was confirmed with Fisher's exact test (p < 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of CAC severity for SCD were 20.3% and 97.5%, respectively, and the positive likelihood ratio was 8.1. Severe CAC can increase the probability of SCD. In cases in which only PMCT can be performed, this finding can be helpful for diagnosing SCD.

Preoperative Cardiac Risk Assessment in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplant Due to Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Should It Be Different?

OBJECTIVES

Liver transplant is a high-risk surgery for cardiac events. The risk of 30-day major cardiac adverse events is estimated at more than 5%. In this retrospective study, we evaluated our preoperative cardiac risk assessment approach.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We evaluated 58 adult patients who underwent liver transplant between May 2011 and May 2015. Preoperative cardiac risk factors and results of diagnostic tests were noted. Patients were divided into 2 groups: patients with or without hepatocellular carcinoma. Electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and treadmill tests were performed for preoperative cardiac evaluation in all candidates for liver transplant. Results of these tests showed our preference for myocardial perfusion scintigraphy and/or coronary angiography and heart catheterization.

RESULTS

Mean age of patients was 46.5 ± 14.5 years. The most common cardiovascular risk factor was family history of coronary artery disease (24.1%) in all patients. Diabetes mellitus (15.5%) was the most common risk factor in the patient group without hepatocellular carcinoma. Three patients had already known coronary artery disease (5.2%). Of 16 patients (27.6%) who underwent coronary angiography, 4 were in the hepatocellular carcinoma group. Coronary revascularization by stent implantation was necessary for 1 patient in the hepatocellular carcinoma group; 1 patient in the group without hepatocellular carcinoma underwent preoperative coronary bypass surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

No consensus exists for cardiovascular risk stratification and preoperative cardiovascular evaluation of liver transplant candidates. Noninvasive stress tests are not always feasible for all liver transplant candidates because of poor mobility and poor exercise capacity. With early diagnoses of cardiovascular conditions and preventive recommendations, liver transplant can be performed safely before spread of the disease, which is essential for carcinoma patients. Angiographic evaluation of liver transplant candidates for hepatocellular carcinoma is strongly recommended.

Preoperative cardiovascular investigations in liver transplant candidate: An update

Cardiovascular complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) undergoing liver transplantation. Identifying candidates at the highest risk of postoperative cardiovascular complications is the cornerstone for optimizing the outcome. Ischaemic heart disease contributes to major portion of cardiovascular complications and therefore warrants evaluation in the preoperative period. Patients of ESLD usually demonstrate increased cardiac output, compromised ventricular response to stress, low systemic vascular resistance and occasionally bradycardia. Despite various recommendations for preoperative evaluation of cardiovascular disease in liver transplant candidates, a considerable controversy on screening methodology persists. This review critically focuses on the rapidly expanding body of evidence for diagnosis and risk stratification of cardiovascular disorder in liver transplant candidates.