Tatsuhiko Furuhashi

The impact of chronic kidney disease as a predictor of major cardiac events in patients with no evidence of coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND Normal stress myocardial perfusion images (MPI) generally show good prognosis for cardiovascular events. However, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the important risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), and the interpretation of normal stress MPI has not been well established in CKD patients with no evidence of CAD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term prognostic value of stress MPI in CKD patients with no evidence of myocardial ischemia or infarction. METHODS Patients who had no history but were suspected of CAD and had normal stress MPI (n=307, male=208, age=67 years, CKD/non-CKD=46/261) were followed-up for 4.5 years. CKD was defined as a glomerular filtration ratio of <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) and/or persistent proteinuria. Cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and unstable angina requiring hospitalization were defined as major cardiac events. RESULTS Major cardiac events were observed in 3 of 261 (1.1%) non-CKD patients and 6 of 46 (13%) CKD patients (p<0.001, with log-rank test). CKD was an independent risk factor for major cardiac events (hazard ratio=13.1, p<0.001, multivariate Cox regression analysis). CONCLUSIONS Normal stress MPI does not always promise a good prognosis for major cardiac events. Even in patients with no evidence of CAD from stress MPI, CKD can be an independent and significant risk factor for major cardiac events.

Prediction of cardiovascular events in pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients with normal SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging

PURPOSE Patients with normal stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) results generally have an excellent prognosis with <1% cardiovascular events/year. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an established risk factor for cardiovascular events. However, the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) varies considerably among patients with CKD. We evaluated the prognostic value of eGFR for patients with CKD who did not undergo hemodialysis and had no evidence of coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS AND SUBJECTS Patients with CKD (n=108; 58 males; mean age: 74 years) with no CAD [no previous CAD and normal stress MPI results; summed stress score (SSS) <4] and with no history of hemodialysis were followed-up (mean duration: 24 months). CKD was defined by eGFR of <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) and/or persistent proteinuria. Cardiovascular events included cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and unstable angina. RESULTS Cardiovascular events were observed in 8 patients with CKD (7%). The following were determined as significant predictors of these events: age (hazard ratio=1.14; p=0.019), hemoglobin levels (hazard ratio=0.69; p=0.021), eGFR (hazard ratio=0.94; p=0.008), SSS (hazard ratio=2.31; p=0.012), and summed difference score (hazard ratio=2.33; p=0.014). CONCLUSIONS Patients with CKD and with no previous CAD and normal stress MPI results (SSS<4) may not exhibit an excellent cardiovascular prognosis. Further, a lower eGFR and stress MPI results may be the predictors of cardiovascular events. Thus, patients with a lower eGFR and/or normal stress MPI results (SSS<4) may require continuous follow-up.

Importance of renal function on prognostic value of cardiac iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy

Objective: Cardiac iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) can be used to evaluate cardiac sympathetic nerve function and is useful for assessing the prognosis of patients with heart disease. Renal impairment in heart failure patients has been recognized as an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality, and has been observed as abnormal uptake and washout of cardiac MIBG imaging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of cardiac MIBG imaging in heart disease patients with a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) either ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or <60 ml/min/1.73 m2.Methods: Heart disease patients (n: 135, male/female: 87/48, mean age: 63 years, coronary artery disease/dilated cardiomyopathy/myocarditis: 41/62/32, mean left ventricular ejection fraction: 51%, GFR ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m2/GFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2:103/32) underwent cardiac MIBG imaging and were followed-up for 2.7 years. GFR was calculated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. Cardiac MIBG imaging was obtained 15 min and 4 h after isotope injection. The parameters analyzed for cardiac MIBG imaging were the heart-to-mediastinum ratio (H/M) on the delayed planar image and the cardiac washout rate.Results: Cardiac death was observed in 9 of 103 patients (9%) with a GFR >-60 ml/min/1.73 m2 and in 6 of 32 patients (19%) with a GFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2. The mortality ratio tended to be higher in patients with a GFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 than in patients with a GFR ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (p=0.10 with Kaplan-Meier survival curves). In patients with a GFR ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m2, Cox regression analysis showed that a delayed H/M <146% was the most powerful predictor for cardiac death (Hazard ratio: 6.9, p=0.014). However, in patients with a GFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2, the utility of cardiac MIBG imaging could not be proved.Conclusions: A delayed H/M is a powerful predictor of cardiac death if the GFR is 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or more.

Lower ratio of high-molecular-weight adiponectin level to total may be associated with coronary high-risk plaque

BackgroundAlthough high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin is believed to protect against atherosclerosis, the association between HMW adiponectin and the composition of coronary plaques is unknown. We evaluated whether the HMW to total adiponectin ratio was associated with the presence of coronary plaque and its composition using multi-slice computed tomography coronary angiography (MSCTCA).MethodsSerum total and HMW adiponectin levels were measured in 53 consecutive patients (age, 71) with >50% coronary artery stenosis detected by MSCTCA. A low-attenuation coronary plaque was defined as a plaque with a mean CT density <50 Hounsfield units. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the predictors of the presence of low-attenuation coronary plaques, which is thought to be high risk, on CT.ResultsDecreased serum levels of total as well as HMW adiponectin were significantly associated with the presence of at least one calcified or non-calcified coronary artery plaque (total adiponectin level: odds ratio 0.76, 95% CI 0.58–0.99, P = 0.048; HMW adiponectin level: odds ratio 0.65, 95% CI 0.42–0.99, P = 0.047). A low ratio of HMW to total adiponectin was significantly associated with the presence of low-attenuation coronary plaques (4.55, 1.94–21.90, P = 0.049). However, neither the total adiponectin nor the HMW adiponectin level was associated with the presence of low-attenuation coronary plaques.ConclusionLower total or HMW adiponectin levels are associated with the presence of calcified and non-calcified coronary plaques, whereas a lower ratio of HMW to total adiponectin associated with the presence of low-attenuation coronary plaques (thought to be high risk). Measurement of total and HMW adiponectin levels and the HMW to total adiponectin ratio may be useful for risk stratification of coronary artery plaques.

Cardiovascular prognosis in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and no significant ischemia

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Predictors of cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients after stress myocardial perfusion imaging

Cardiovascular prognosis in patients under normal stress myocardial perfusion images (MPI) is generally excellent. However, this is not true for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) treated by hemodialysis. This study evaluated prognostic factors of adverse cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients in whom stress MPI was performed. Pharmacological stress MPI was performed in 88 hemodialysis patients, and we retrospectively followed‐up for 26 months. Cardiovascular events included cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and unstable angina. Cardiovascular events occurred in 16 patients (18%). Univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that peripheral artery disease (PAD) and parameters of stress MPI were significant predictors of cardiovascular events. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that only PAD (hazard ratio = 6.54; P = 0.002), and abnormal stress MPI (hazard ratio = 8.26; P = 0.008) were independent and significant predictors of cardiovascular events. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed better prognosis in patients with normal stress MPI than in patients with abnormal stress MPI (P < 0.001, log–rank test). However, in patients with normal stress MPI, cardiovascular events occurred in 10 of the 76 patients (13%). Among patients with normal stress MPI, Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that patients with no PAD had better prognosis than patients with PAD (P = 0.001, log–rank test). In hemodialysis patients, both PAD and stress MPI were powerful cardiovascular predictors. Normal stress MPI alone cannot guarantee good prognosis in terms of cardiovascular events. Consideration of PAD may improve the predictive value of stress MPI in some patients.