RESUMO
There have been little and conflicting data regarding the relationship between coronary artery calcification score (CACS) and myocardial ischemia on positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (PET MPI). The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between myocardial ischemia on PET MPI and CACS, the frequency and severity of CACS in patients with normal PET MPI, and to determine the optimal CACS cutoff point for abnormal PET. This retrospective study included 363 patients who underwent same-setting stress PET perfusion imaging and CACS scan because of clinically suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Fifty-five (55%) of the 363 patients had abnormal PET perfusion. There was an association between sex, diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking, and CACS and PET perfusion abnormities with P = 0.003, 0.05, 0.005, and 0.001, respectively. However, there was no association between PET perfusion abnormalities with age, body mass index, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. There was association between CACS and age, sex, and DM with P = 0.000, 0.014, and 0.052, respectively, and stepwise increase in the frequency of myocardial ischemia and CACS groups. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis showed that a CACS ≥304 is the optimal cutoff for predicting perfusion abnormalities with sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 69%. In conclusion, the frequency of CAC in patients with normal PET MPI is 49%, it is highly recommended to combine CACS with PET MPI in patients without a history of CAD. PET MPI identifies myocardial ischemia and defines the need for coronary revascularization, but CAC reflects the anatomic burden of coronary atherosclerosis. Combining CACS to PET MPI allows better risk stratification and identifies high-risk patients with PET, and it may change future follow-up recommendations. CACS scan is readily available and easily acquired with modern PET-computed tomography (CT) and single-photon emission CT (SPECT)-CT with modest radiation exposure.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: 13N-ammonia positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is being increasingly used as a non-invasive imaging modality for evaluating patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), but information about the diagnostic accuracy of PET-MPI is sparse. Objectives: Our objective was to determine the accuracy of 13N-ammonia PET-CT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for detecting CAD. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 383 patients with suspected CAD who underwent rest-stress 13N- ammonia PET-CT MPI. Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) was performed within 60 days for all patients with abnormal PET-MPI findings and for selected patients with normal PET-MPI findings. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 64±11 years, and the mean body mass index was 32±7 kg/m2. Stress perfusion defects were identified in 147 (34%) out of a total of 383 patients. ICA was performed in 213 patients (145 patients with abnormal PET and 68 patients with normal PET). The sensitivity of PET-MPI for detection of obstructive CAD based on ≥50% stenosis was 90%; specificity, 90%; positive predictive value, 96%; negative predictive value, 76%; and diagnostic accuracy, 80%. CONCLUSIONS: PET-MPI with 13N-ammonia affords high sensitivity and overall accuracy for detecting CAD. The addition of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) can improve CAD risk stratification.
