Diagnostic and clinical benefit of combined coronary calcium and perfusion assessment in patients undergoing PET/CT myocardial perfusion stress imaging.

BACKGROUND: A limitation of stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is the inability to detect non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). One advantage of MPI with a hybrid CT device is the ability to obtain same-setting measurement of the coronary artery calcium score (CACS). METHODS AND RESULTS: Utilizing our single-center nuclear database, we identified 760 consecutive patients with: (1) no CAD history; (2) a normal clinically indicated Rb-82 PET/CT stress perfusion study; and (3) a same-setting CAC scan. 487 of 760 patients (64.1%) had subclinical CAD based on an abnormal CACS. Of those with CAC, the CACS was > or =100, > or =400, and > or =1000 in 47.0%, 22.4%, and 8.4% of patients, respectively. Less than half of the patients with CAC were receiving aspirin or statin medications prior to PET/CT imaging. Patients with CAC were more likely to be initiated or optimized on proven medical therapy for CAD immediately following PET/CT MPI compared to those without CAC. CONCLUSIONS: Subclinical CAD is common in patients without known CAD and normal myocardial perfusion assessed by hybrid PET/CT imaging. Identification of CAC influences subsequent physician prescribing patterns such that those with CAC are more likely to be treated with proven medical therapy for the treatment of CAD.

Dobutamine stress echo is superior to exercise stress testing in achieving target heart rate among patients on beta blockers.

Published guidelines recommend continuing beta-adrenergic receptor blockade in patients undergoing stress testing. We evaluated the role of pharmacological versus exercise stress testing in achieving target heart rate (THR) among patients on beta-adrenergic blockade. We compared data from 140 patients who underwent dobutamine stress echo (DSE) and 143 patients who underwent exercise treadmill testing (ETT). In both groups, beta-adrenergic blocker was continued at the time of stress testing. Overall, patients undergoing DSE achieved THR more frequently than ETT. With beta-adrenergic blockade, DSE patients met THR more frequently than ETT patients (p < 0.001). Without beta-adrenergic blockade, there was no difference between either modality in achieving THR. In both DSE and ETT patients, absence of beta-adrenergic blockade increased the odds of achieving THR [odds ratio (OR): 2.46, p = 0.042 and OR: 7.44, p < 0.001, respectively]. Atropine use with DSE increased the odds of achieving THR (OR: 3.76, p = 0.006). In conclusion, pharmacological stress testing appears to be superior to exercise stress testing in achieving THR among patients on beta-adrenergic blockade.