The use of the acute Pd/Pa drop after intracoronary nitroglycerin infusion to rule out significant FFR: CANICA (Can intracoronary nitroglycerin predict fractional flow reserve without adenosine?) multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: Functional assessment of coronary artery stenosis is performed by measuring the fractional flow reserve (FFR) under hyperemic conditions (Adenosine). However, the use of adenosine portends limitations. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the relationship and correlation between FFR and the Pd/Pa value obtained just after the intracoronary infusion (acute drop) of nitroglycerin (Pd/Pa-NTG) and if this parameter enhances diagnostic accuracy for FFR prediction compared to the resting baseline Pd/Pa. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter study including prospectively patients presenting intermediate coronary artery stenosis (30-70%) evaluated with pressure wire. Resting baseline Pd/Pa, Pd/Pa-NTG and FFR were measured. RESULTS: 283 patients (335 lesions) were included. Resting baseline Pd/Pa value was 0.72 to 1.0 (0.93 ± 0.04), Pd/Pa-NTG was 0.60 to 1.0 (0.87 ± 0.07) and FFR 0.55 to 1.0 (0.83 ± 0.08). The ROC curves for resting baseline Pd/Pa and for Pd/Pa-NTG, using a FFR ≤ 0.80 showed an AUC of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.84-0.92, P < 0.001) and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.92-0.96, P < 0.001) respectively. The optimal cutoff values of resting baseline Pd/Pa and Pd/Pa-NTG for an FFR > 0.80, were >0.96 and >0.88, respectively. These values were present in a 29.8% (n = 100) and a 47.1% (n = 158), of the total lesions. Scatter plots showed a better correlation and agreement points with Pd/Pa-NTG than resting baseline Pd/Pa. The cutoff value of Pd/Pa-NTG > 0.88 showed an excellent NPV (96.2% for FFR > 0.8 and 100% for FFR > 0.75) and sensitivity (95% for FFR > 0.8 and 100% for FFR > 0.75) which were consistently high across all the subgroups analysis. CONCLUSION: The cutoff value of acute Pd/Pa-NTG > 0.88 has a high NPV meaning adenosine-FFR can be avoided in almost half of lesions.

[Angiographic correlates of the high-risk criteria for conventional exercise testing and the Duke treadmill score]. / Correlación angiográfica de los criterios de alto riesgo para ergometría convencional y el índice de Duke.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the sensitivity, the specificity, the positive and negative predictive value and the predictive accuracy of the Duke Treadmill Score, the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC) and American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) high-risk criteria for exercise testing in the detection of left main disease, three vessel disease and two vessel disease involving the proximal left anterior descending artery. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A cohort of 199 patients (age 75 years) consecutively admitted to hospital for unstable angina was studied. All patients underwent an exercise stress test and coronariography. RESULTS: The SEC high-risk Criteria showed a sensitivity of 69.2% and a specificity of 49.0%. The ACC/AHA high-risk Criteria demonstrated a sensitivity of 98.1% and a specificity of 23.8% and the Duke Treadmill Score presented a sensitivity of 30.8% and a specificity of 90.5%. In patients with moderate risk in the Duke Treadmill Score we found a sensitivity of 62.9% and a specificity of 39.8% for the SEC high-risk criteria, while the ACC/AHA high-risk Criteria presented a sensitivity of 100.0% and a specificity of 5.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The ACC/AHA high-risk Criteria showed a higher sensitivity while the Duke Treadmill Score presented a higher specificity for the detection of left main disease, three vessel disease and two vessel disease involving the proximal left anterior descending artery. The ACC/AHA and SEC high-risk Criteria were found to be very useful in the group of patients with moderate risk in the Duke Treadmill Score.