Prognostic value of coronary computed tomography angiography compared to radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging in patients With coronary stents.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the prognostic value of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in predicting cardiovascular events in patients with stents. Design: Retrospective analysis. Setting: University Hospital, London, Ontario Canada. Participants: Between January 2007 and December 2018, 119 patients post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) who were referred for hybrid imaging with CTA and 2-day rest/stress SPECT were enrolled. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Patients were followed for any major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) including: All-cause mortality, Non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), Unplanned revascularization, Cerebrovascular accident and hospitalization for arrhythmia or heart failure. We define hard cardiac events (HCE) as: cardiac death, non-fatal MI or unplanned revascularization. We used two cut-off values to define obstructive lesions with CCTA ≥50% and ≥70% in any coronary segment. SPECT scan defined as abnormal in the presence of >5% reversible myocardial perfusion defect. Results: During the follow-up period of 7.2 ± 3.4 years. 45/119 (37.8%) patients experienced 57 MACE: Ten deaths (2 cardiac deaths and 8 of non-cardiac deaths), 29 acute coronary syndrome including non-fatal MI (25 required revascularization), 7 hospitalizations for heart failure, 6 cerebrovascular accidents and 5 new atrial fibrillation. 31 HCEs were reported. Cox regression analysis showed that obstructive coronary stenosis (≥50% and ≥70%) and abnormal SPECT were associated of MACE (p = 0.037, 0.018 and 0.026), respectively. In contrast, HCEs were significantly associated with obstructive coronary stenosis of ≥50% and ≥70% with p = 0.004 and p = 0.007, respectively. In contrast, abnormal SPECT was a nonsignificant predictor of HCEs (p = 0.062). Conclusion: Obstructive coronary artery stenosis on CCTA can predict MACE and HCE. However, abnormal SPECT can only predict MACE but not HCE in patients post-PCI with a follow-up period of approximately 7 years.

Complementary role of computed tomography angiography with fixed perfusion defects on SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging.

PURPOSE: We present this case series exploring the complementary role of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) to SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in the detection of myocardial necrosis. METHODS: A cardiac hybrid imaging database search identified 144 patients with a previous history of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated with coronary revascularization. CCTA and MPI scans were evaluated to determine whether CCTA had an added value to MPI in detecting myocardial necrosis. RESULTS: Five patients with patent stents and/or bypass grafts and both fixed perfusion defects on MPI and sub-endocardial hypo-perfusion on CCTA were identified. The extent and location of the perfusion defects were closely correlated between the CCTA and SPECT MPI images. CONCLUSION: In this series, CCTA and SPECT MPI were found to play a complementary role in the assessment of fixed perfusion defect, with CCTA adding specificity to the diagnosis of myocardial necrosis.

Coronary artery calcium progression after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Accelerated atherosclerosis is a well-established phenomenon after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). In this study, we analysed coronary artery calcium (CCS) progression after CABG. METHODS: We retrospectively measured the CCS Agatston score (AS), volume score (VS) and mass score (MS) of 39 patients before and after CABG. The annualised CCS change and annualised CCS percent change of each coronary artery, coronary artery segments proximal and distal to anastomosis were analysed. RESULTS: Mean age at the time of the surgery was 59.8±8.5 years. Follow-up period between the first and second CT scans was 6.7±2.8 (range, 1.1-12.8) years. Annualised CCS percent change (AS, VS and MS) of the coronary segments proximal-to-anastomosis did not differ from that of the non-grafted coronary arteries as follow: segments proximal-to-anastomosis: median (Q1-Q3) 12.8 (5.0-37.4), 13.7 (6.1-41.1) and 14.9 (5.4-53.7), left main coronary artery 12.6 (7.4-43.8), 22.0 (8.1-44.4) and 18.2 (7.3-57.4), non-grafted left circumflex artery: 13.5 (4.4-38.1), 10.5 (2.9-45.2) and 11.5 (7.1-47.9) and non-grafted right coronary artery: 31.4 (14.4-74.5), 25.2 (16.7-62.0) and 31.3 (23.8-85.6), respectively. Likewise, annualised percent change (AS, VS and MS) was similar between the native coronary arteries. Multivariate regression analysis showed that diabetes mellitus was the only predictor of annualised percent progression of the total CCS of >15% (HR, 8.12; 95% CI, 1.05 to 26.6; p=0.04). CONCLUSION: The CCS post-CABG did not follow an accelerated progression process. Among coronary artery disease risk factors, diabetes mellitus is the only predictor of annualised CCS percent progression of >15% post-CABG.

Hiatal hernia after robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study is to determine the incidence/progression of hiatal hernia (HH) after robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (RA-CABG) surgery. METHODS: We reviewed the pre- and post-operative computed tomography (CT) of 491 patients who underwent RA-CABG between 2000 and 2017. Post-operative CT was acquired prospectively in a research protocol. CT was reviewed to assess the presence and the size of HH. RESULTS: We found 444/491 (90.4%) had pre-operative CT, while 201/491 (40.9%) had post-operative CT. In total, 155/491 (31.6%) had both pre- and long-term post-operative CT with a mean follow-up of 6.2 (±3.5) years. HH was more prevalent on post-operative CT, 64/155 (41.3%) compared to pre-operative CT, 44/155 (28.4%), P<0.0001. The diameter of pre-existing HH 2.8 (±1.8) cm was significantly greater after surgery 3.9 (±2.5) cm, P<0.0001. As well the volume of the pre-existing HH 5.8 (4.4-9.2) mL (quartile) was significantly greater after surgery 14.1 (7.2-64.9) mL, P<0.0001. 20/155 (12.9%) had a newly developed HH after RA-CABG. A binary multivariate regression including HH risk factors showed that male gender is a predictor of developing a HH after RA-CABG with Hazard Ratio of 3.038, confidence interval (1.10-8.43), P=0.033. CONCLUSIONS: RA-CABG is associated with an increased risk of developing HH and increases the size of pre-existing HH.

Very high coronary artery calcium score with normal myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging is associated with a moderate incidence of severe coronary artery disease.

PURPOSE: Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) has limitations in the presence of balanced multivessel disease (MVD) and left main (LM) coronary artery disease, occasionally resulting in false-normal results despite the high cardiovascular risk associated with this condition. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of severe coronary artery disease (CAD) in the presence of a very high Agatston coronary artery calcium (CAC) score (>1,000) in stable symptomatic patients without known CAD but with normal MPI results. METHODS: A total of 2,659 prospectively acquired consecutive patients were referred for MPI and evaluation of CAC score by CT. Of this patient population, 8 % (222/2,659) had ischemia without myocardial infarction (MI) on MPIand 11 % (298/2,659) had abnormal MPI (MI and/or ischemia). On presentation 1 % of the patients (26/2,659) were symptomatic, had a CAC score >1,000 and normal MPI results. The definition of normal MPI was strict and included a normal hemodynamic response without ischemic ECG changes and normal imaging, particularly absence of transient ischemic dilation. All of these 26 patients with a CAC score >1,000 and normal MPI findings underwent cardiac catheterization. RESULTS: Of these 26 patients, 58 % (15/26) had severe disease (≥70 % stenosis) leading to revascularization. Of this group, 47 % (7/15) underwent percutaneous intervention, and 53 % (8/15) underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. All of these 15 patients had either MVD (14/15) or LM coronary artery disease (1/15), and represented 0.6 % (15/2,659) of all referred patients (95 % CI 0.3 - 0.9 %). The majority, 90 % (8/9), had severe CAD with typical chest pain. CONCLUSION: A very high CAC score (>1,000) with normal MPI in a small subset of symptomatically stable patients was associated with a moderate incidence of severe CAD (95 % CI 37 - 77 %). Larger studies and/or a meta-analysis of small studies are needed to more precisely estimate the incidence of CAD in this population. This study also supports the concept that a normal MPI result in patients with severe CAD may be due to balanced MVD.

Long-term patency of endoscopically harvested radial arteries: from a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: From 2005 to 2007, 119 patients were enrolled in a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing open and endoscopically harvested radial arteries for coronary artery bypass grafting. The objective of the current study was to compare graft patency between intervention groups at more than 5 years from the initial trial. We hypothesized that endoscopically harvested radial arteries would show equivalent patency to those conventionally harvested. METHODS: At 5 years or greater from their operation, all consenting patients underwent a single-day anatomic and functional cardiac assessment with coronary computed tomography angiography and sestamibi myocardial perfusion scanning. Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Surveys and Seattle Angina Questionnaires were completed to assess the overall quality of life. All patients had received calcium channel blocker therapy for at least 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean (SD) duration of follow-up was 79.2 (8.6) months for all patients. One death occurred within 30 days of coronary artery bypass grafting in each treatment group, and eight additional noncardiac deaths occurred during the study time frame. Of 119 patients, 66 consented to follow-up. Thirty-two had open radial artery harvest, and 34 had endoscopic radial artery harvest. At more than 5 years, there were 28 patent conventionally harvested radial arteries (87.5%) and 31 patent endoscopically harvested radial arteries (91.2%) (P = 0.705). Measured quality of life was comparable between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic radial artery harvest is safe and effective when compared with open radial artery harvest, with excellent graft patency demonstrated at more than 5 years. Patency results are noninferior in endoscopic radial artery harvest.

The (99m)Tc-DTPA urinary clearance method may be preferable to the plasma disappearance method for assessing glomerular filtration rate in diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Isotopic glomerular filtration rate (iGFR) measurement is comparable to the inulin method. In this study, we compared urinary and plasma iGFR methodologies in patients with diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: A total of 147 patients from 3 sites in the Diabetic Intervention with Vitamins to Improve Nephropathy (DIVINe) trial provided 213 sets of urine and blood collections, at baseline, 18 and 36 months. RESULTS: The mean (with standard deviation) plasma iGFR of 60.7 (24.9) ml/min/1.73 m(2) compared to urinary iGFR of 52.0 (28.0) ml/min/1.73 m(2) was statistically significant (p value <0.001). Although plasma and urinary iGFRs were highly related (R(2) = 0.86), plasma iGFR increasingly overestimated urinary iGFRs at lower GFRs. In contrast to the cross-sectional analyses, the two measures of iGFR were weakly related (R(2) = 0.32) in regard to patients' change over 18 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Plasma iGFR may not be a suitable method for accurately measuring GFR in patients with advancing degrees of chronic kidney disease from diabetic nephropathy.

Long-term angiographic follow-up of robotic-assisted coronary artery revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been shown in short-term studies to increase patient satisfaction and to reduce surgical morbidity and recovery times. However, the long-term patency rate of robotic-assisted CABG is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the long-term patency rate of robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafts. METHODS: The study cohort included all patients who underwent robotic-assisted conduit dissection for CABG at London Health Sciences Centre between September 1999 and December 2003. These patients had selective graft patency assessment using cardiac catheterization or computed tomography angiography (CTA), or both, and stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) 5 to 10 years after surgery to evaluate graft patency and to give functional information on the hemodynamic significance of any graft stenosis. Patients also completed quality of life questionnaires. RESULTS: From a total of 160 patients who underwent robotic-assisted CABG, 82 eligible patients were followed with graft patency assessments for a mean period of 8 years±16.3 months. The patency rate of all robotic-assisted CABG grafts in this patient cohort was 92.7%. The patency rate of left internal thoracic artery grafts to the left anterior descending artery after robotic-assisted CABG in this patient cohort was 93.4%. Patients consistently attained high scores on quality of life questionnaires after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term patency rate of grafts after robotic-assisted CABG was 92.7% at a mean follow-up period of 95.8±16.3 months. Specifically, the patency rate of left internal thoracic artery grafts to the left anterior descending artery after robotic-assisted CABG was 93.4%.

Robotic coronary artery bypass for aberrant right coronary artery stenosis.

Anomalous coronary arteries that course between the aorta and pulmonary artery are subject to compressive forces and can manifest angina, myocardial infarction and sudden death. The current report presents a young, female patient who presented with a short duration of severe, rapidly progressive angina despite optimal medical therapy. Combined computed tomography and myocardial perfusion scanning identified an anomalous dominant right coronary artery that appeared kinked at its origin between the aorta and main pulmonary artery. A robot-assisted right internal thoracic artery to right coronary artery bypass was performed, which was confirmed to be widely patent (FitzGibbon grade A) on routine intraoperative angiography. The procedure completely resolved the patient's angina symptoms.

Complementary roles of low-dose SPECT-CT and high-resolution volume CT for detection of coronary artery disease.

A 70-year-old woman with a high pretest likelihood of coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent a Tc-99m MIBI SPECT-CT study for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), which was complemented by a high-resolution volume CT (VCT) study. After attenuation correction, an MPI pattern of ischemia was detected in the lateral wall of the myocardium. The CT calcium score (CTCS) was above the 75th percentile. The CT angiography (CTA) demonstrated a 70% stenosis at the ostial part of the circumflex artery, and incidentally revealed a saccular aneurysm. In today's nuclear cardiology, low-dose SPECT-CT plus high-resolution VCT allows anatofunctional assessment of suspected CAD.

Utility of Ictal SPECT in the presurgical evaluation of Rasmussen's encephalitis.

BACKGROUND: Rasmussen's encephalitis is a progressive disease characterized by severe progressive neurological and cognitive deficits. It is a difficult condition to treat with conventional medical treatment and requires, in most of the cases, surgical intervention. METHODS: We present the case of a patient with Rasmussen's encephalitis who presented with epilepsia partialis continua, who did not respond to antiepileptic treatment and was evaluated for possible surgical intervention. RESULTS: The electroencephalographic studies revealed bihemispheric involvement during seizures, although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a marked right hemispheric atrophy. Hyperperfusion over the right hemisphere was seen with the performance of ictal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), which finally guided a right functional hemispherectomy and subsequent seizure control. CONCLUSION: Ictal SPECT could be a useful tool in the armamentarium of tools used for the localization of the epileptogenic focus in patients with Rasmussen's encephalitis and other localization-related epilepsies.