Impact of resting heart rate on evaluation of coronary artery elasticity and lesions during coronary CTA / 中国介入影像与治疗学

ABSTRACT

Objective： To explore the impact of resting heart rate (RHR) on evaluation of coronary artery elasticity and lesions by coronary CTA (CCTA). Methods： Data of 180 patients who underwent CCTA were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to RHR, i.e. group A, RHR≤60 bpm, group B, RHR 60-80 bpm and group C, RHR≥80 bpm (each n=60), and then were further divided into normal subgroup (no obvious lesion was found in CCTA) and diseased subgroup (CCTA found soft/hard plaques in coronary arteries) in each group. Data were reconstructed in 5% steps from 10% to 90% of the R-R interval, image quality was evaluated, and the best contraction and diastole reconstruction phases of right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex branch (LCX) were obtained. Then distensibility coefficient (DC) of RCA, LAD and LCX in normal subgroups were measured at the best phase of 3 groups, and the number of plaques in the diseased subgroups were counted. Results： The best reconstruction phases of RCA, LAD and LCX in group A were 40%, 70% or 75% R-R interval, in group B were 45% and 75%, while in group C were 45% or 50%, 75% or 80% R-R interval, respectively. Differences of DC values for RCA, LAD and LCX were statistically significant among 3 normal subgroups (all P0.05). The differences of the number of plaques in RCA, LAD and LCX were statistically significant among 3 groups (all P0.05). Conclusion： During CCTA examination, patients with too high RHR may present reduced vascular elasticity and increased number of vascular plaques.