Stephan Achenbach

The CT-STAT (Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography for Systematic Triage of Acute Chest Pain Patients to Treatment) Trial

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency, cost, and safety of a diagnostic strategy employing early coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) to a strategy employing rest-stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in the evaluation of acute low-risk chest pain. BACKGROUND In the United States, >8 million patients require emergency department evaluation for acute chest pain annually at an estimated diagnostic cost of >

3-dimensional aortic annular assessment by multidetector computed tomography predicts moderate or severe paravalvular regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a multicenter retrospective analysis.

10 billion. METHODS This multicenter, randomized clinical trial in 16 emergency departments ran between June 2007 and November 2008. Patients were randomly allocated to CCTA (n = 361) or MPI (n = 338) as the index noninvasive test. The primary outcome was time to diagnosis; the secondary outcomes were emergency department costs of care and safety, defined as freedom from major adverse cardiac events in patients with normal index tests, including 6-month follow-up. RESULTS The CCTA resulted in a 54% reduction in time to diagnosis compared with MPI (median 2.9 h [25th to 75th percentile: 2.1 to 4.0 h] vs. 6.3 h [25th to 75th percentile: 4.2 to 19.0 h], p < 0.0001). Costs of care were 38% lower compared with standard (median

Prevalence and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease and Adverse Events Among Symptomatic Patients With Coronary Artery Calcification Scores of Zero Undergoing Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography Results From the CONFIRM (Coronary CT Angiography Evaluation for Clinical Outcomes: An International Multicenter) Registry

2,137 [25th to 75th percentile:

Accuracy of prospectively ECG-triggered very low-dose coronary dual-source CT angiography using iterative reconstruction for the detection of coronary artery stenosis: comparison with invasive catheterization

1,660 to

Low-Dose Dual-Source CT Angiography With Iterative Reconstruction for Coronary Artery Stent Evaluation

3,077] vs.

Standardized medical terminology for cardiac computed tomography: A report of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

3,458 [25th to 75th percentile:

Cardiac Computed Tomography—Evidence, Limitations and Clinical Application

2,900 to

Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography for Prediction of Procedural and Intermediate Outcome of Bypass Grafting to Left Anterior Descending Artery Occlusion With Failed Visualization on Conventional Angiography

4,297], p < 0.0001). The diagnostic strategies had no difference in major adverse cardiac events after normal index testing (0.8% in the CCTA arm vs. 0.4% in the MPI arm, p = 0.29). CONCLUSIONS In emergency department acute, low-risk chest pain patients, the use of CCTA results in more rapid and cost-efficient safe diagnosis than rest-stress MPI. Further studies comparing CCTA to other diagnostic strategies are needed to optimize evaluation of specific patient subsets. (Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography for Systematic Triage of Acute Chest Pain Patients to Treatment [CT-STAT]; NCT00468325).

Technical Advances in Cardiac CT

OBJECTIVES This study sought to analyze multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) 3-dimensional aortic annular dimensions for the prediction of paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). BACKGROUND Moderate or severe PAR after TAVR is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. METHODS A total of 109 consecutive patients underwent MDCT pre-TAVR with a balloon expandable aortic valve. Differences between transcatheter heart valve (THV) size and MDCT measures of annular size (mean diameter, area, and circumference) were analyzed concerning prediction of PAR. Patients with THV malposition (n = 7) were excluded. In 50 patients, MDCT was repeated after TAVR to assess THV eccentricity (1 - short diameter/long diameter) and expansion (MDCT measured THV area/nominal THV area). RESULTS Moderate or severe PAR (13 of 102) was associated with THV undersizing (THV diameter - mean diameter = -0.7 ± 1.4 mm vs. 0.9 ± 1.8 mm for trivial to mild PAR, p < 0.01). The difference between THV size and MDCT annular size was predictive of PAR (mean diameter: area under the curve [AUC]: 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.68 to 0.88; area: AUC: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.90; circumference: AUC: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.59 to 0.91). Annular eccentricity was not associated with PAR (AUC: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.75). We found that 35.3% (36 of 102) and 45.1% (46 of 102) of THVs were undersized relative to the MDCT mean diameter and area, respectively. THV oversizing relative to the annular area was not associated with THV eccentricity or underexpansion (oversized vs. undersized THVs; expansion: 102.7 ± 5.3% vs. 106.1 ± 5.6%, p = 0.03; eccentricity: median: 1.7% [interquartile range: 1.4% to 3.0%] vs. 1.7% [interquartile range: 1.1% to 2.7%], p = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS MDCT-derived 3-dimensional aortic annular measurements are predictive of moderate or severe PAR following TAVR. Oversizing of THVs may reduce the risk of moderate or severe PAR.

Coronary Artery Calcification and Coronary Atherosclerotic Disease

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in relation to prognosis in symptomatic patients without coronary artery calcification (CAC) undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). BACKGROUND The frequency and clinical relevance of CAD in patients without CAC are unclear. METHODS We identified 10,037 symptomatic patients without CAD who underwent concomitant CCTA and CAC scoring. CAD was assessed as <50%, ≥50%, and ≥70% stenosis. All-cause mortality and the composite endpoint of mortality, myocardial infarction, or late coronary revascularization (≥90 days after CCTA) were assessed. RESULTS Mean age was 57 years, 56% were men, and 51% had a CAC score of 0. Among patients with a CAC score of 0, 84% had no CAD, 13% had nonobstructive stenosis, and 3.5% had ≥50% stenosis (1.4% had ≥70% stenosis) on CCTA. A CAC score >0 had a sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values for stenosis ≥50% of 89%, 59%, 96%, and 29%, respectively. During a median of 2.1 years, there was no difference in mortality among patients with a CAC score of 0 irrespective of obstructive CAD. Among 8,907 patients with follow-up for the composite endpoint, 3.9% with a CAC score of 0 and ≥50% stenosis experienced an event (hazard ratio: 5.7; 95% confidence interval: 2.5 to 13.1; p < 0.001) compared with 0.8% of patients with a CAC score of 0 and no obstructive CAD. Receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that the CAC score did not add incremental prognostic information compared with CAD extent on CCTA for the composite endpoint (CCTA area under the curve = 0.825; CAC + CCTA area under the curve = 0.826; p = 0.84). CONCLUSIONS In symptomatic patients with a CAC score of 0, obstructive CAD is possible and is associated with increased cardiovascular events. CAC scoring did not add incremental prognostic information to CCTA.