Fístula coronário-cavitária da artéria coronária circunflexa para o átrio esquerdo como provável etiologia de insuficiência cardíaca: relato de caso / Coronary­cavitary fistula of the circumflex coronary artery to the left atrium as a probable etiology of heart failure: a case report

Fístulas de artérias coronárias têm incidência baixa, sendo diagnosticadas mais frequentemente pelo ecocardiograma ou angiotomografia coronariana, embora a cineangiocoronariografia seja o método padrão-ouro. Têm origem mais comumente na artéria coronária direita, sendo a drenagem para câmaras de baixa pressão o mais habitual. O tratamento pode ser expectante, cirúrgico ou percutâneo. Este relato descreve o caso de uma rara apresentação de insuficiência cardíaca, dada por fístula da coronária circunflexa com drenagem para o átrio esquerdo. (AU)

Coronary artery fistulas have a low incidence and are often diagnosed by echocardiography or coronary computed tomography angiography, although coronary angiography is the gold standard. They commonly originate in the right coronary artery, with drainage to low-pressure chambers being the most frequent finding. Treatment can be expectant, surgical, or percutaneous. This report describes a case of a rare presentation of heart failure due to a fistula of the circumflex coronary artery with drainage into the left atrium. (AU)

A randomized comparison of estimated radiation exposure between Low and conventional dose protocol during invasive coronary angiography (ERICA trial): Pilot study.

PURPOSE: Radiation exposure during coronary angiography is potentially harmful to patients and operators. However, there are limited data on the effects of a low-dose radiation angiography. We evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of a reduced radiation dose protocol during invasive coronary angiography. METHODS: One hundred three consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled and randomized to low- or conventional dose protocols (LDP versus CDP). The LDP consists of 10 frames per second during fluoroscopy and half the radiation dose of CDP during cineangiography. Image quality was assessed using a Likert rating scale by an independent radiologist. The radiation dose was estimated with dose-area product (DAP) and air-kerma (AK). RESULTS: Body weight and waist circumference are well correlated with the level of DAP and AK. Exposure time and total images and frame counts in cineangiography were similar in both groups. There was a marked reduction of the estimated radiation dose (DAP and AK) in the LDP group compared to the CDP group without significant compromise in image quality (total DAP: LDP 1980.1 ±â€¯1163.7 vs. CDP 3434.2 ±â€¯2188.1 µGym2 p = 0.001; total AK: 279.6 ±â€¯159.3 vs. 493.8 ±â€¯280.6 mGy, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The LDP reduced the total estimated radiation dose compared to the CDP without a significant loss of diagnostic information. A LDP may be a viable strategy to protect patients and medical staff from the hazards of radiation in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Isquemia miocárdica sin lesiones coronarias obstructivas: MINOCA-INOCA: Revisión para la toma de decisiones GREECO (Grupo de Estudio de Enfermedades Coronarias) / Myocardial ischemia without coronary obstructions: MINOCA-INOCA. Review for decision making

Una de cada 4 coronariografías realizadas por isquemia miocárdica presenta lesiones menores al 50% Este dato desencadenó un creciente interés en la comunidad médica. La Sociedad Americana de Cardiología publicó recientemente un artículo que describe la posición consensuada de un grupo de expertos sobre la fisiopatología, el diagnóstico y el tratamiento de esta entidad. Nuestro trabajo refleja una revisión narrativa y la posición de un grupo de expertos pertenecientes a diferentes instituciones con servicios de Cardiología jerarquizados. Aborda aspectos fisiopatológicos y diagnósticos para comprender el enfoque actual del tratamiento, tanto en pacientes que ingresan con diagnóstico de MINOCA (infa rto de miocardio con lesiones angiográficas no graves) o de INOCA (angina e isquemia demostradas, pero sin lesiones coronarias que justifiquen este síndrome).

One in every four coronarographies performed to study myocardial ischemia shows coronary angiographic stenosis less than 50%. This data triggered an increasing interest in the medical community. The American Society of Cardiology recently published a position paper about the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of this entity. Our group performed a narrative review reflecting the opinion of cardiology experts from different centers in Argentina. It aims physiopatologic and diagnostic aspect to understand the current approach in patients with MINOCA (myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries) e INOCA (demonstrated angina and ischemia but without coronary lesions that justify this syndrome).

The Low-Flow-Mediated Arterial Constriction in the Upper Limbs of Healthy Human Subjects are Artery Specific and Handedness Independent.

Low-flow-mediated constriction (LFMC) has been used to assess resting endothelial function in peripheral conduit arteries. The literature describes discrepancies in the behaviour of radial versus brachial artery in response to low-flow state, the reasons for which were not addressed in a systematic and scientific way. Moreover, the influence of handedness on observed LFMC responses has not been investigated. The present study aimed at systematic measurement and comparison of the LFMC responses in radial and brachial arteries of both dominant and non-dominant arms of healthy human volunteers. We also investigated the physiological factors associated with differential LFMC response of radial versus brachial artery in the same group of subjects. Longitudinal B mode ultrasonographic cine loops of radial and brachial arteries were acquired at baseline and after producing distal circulatory arrest. Cine loops were screen grabbed and analyzed later using automated edge detection algorithms to measure end-diastolic diameters. Distal circulatory arrest was produced over the proximal forearm (for the brachial artery) and over the wrist (for the radial artery) at 250 mm Hg for 5 min after baseline measurements. Results suggested that arterial location (p = 0.0001) and baseline diameter (p < 0.0021) emerged as independent predictors of LFMC response. Differences in the LFMC responses are handedness independent and could be attributed to the arterial location along with the differences in their baseline diameters.

Evaluation of Cerebral Blood Flow Dynamics in Transient Ischemic Attacks Patients with Fast Cine Phase Contrast Magnetic Resonance Angiography.

Fast cine phase contrast magnetic resonance angiography (PC-MRA) has the potential to provide a quantitative measurement method for the diagnosis and treatment of cerebrovascular disease. To evaluation the changes of cerebral blood flow and the characteristics of artery lesion distribution in the patients of transient ischemic attacks (TIA). In all, 98 normal subjects and 106 TIA patients who underwent MRI examination within 72 h after the last symptom onset including the DWI sequence to exclude acute cerebral infarction were enrolled. The blood flow of the cranial total, the area of the internal carotid artery and vertebral artery, the average velocity, and the average blood flow were obtained and compared in normal subjects and TIA group. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), t-test, and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical assessments. The total cerebral blood flow of the TIA group and normal control group was no significant statistical difference (P > 0.05). The total blood flow decreased with increasing age, and the TIA group was much lower than the control group. The blood flow of the right internal carotid artery in the TIA group had a significant difference compared with controls (P < 0.05). However, the same situation did not happen in both of the left internal carotid artery and vertebral artery. Phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging has the potential to evaluate the change of cerebral blood flow in TIA patients. The decrease in the total blood flow and the symptom onset of TIA is consistent. Phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging could provide guidance to the diagnosis of TIA.

[Myocardial ischemia without coronary obstructions: MINOCA-INOCA. Review for decision making]. / Isquemia miocárdica sin lesiones coronarias obstructivas: MINOCA-INOCA. Revisión para la toma de decisiones.

One in every four coronarographies performed to study myocardial ischemia shows coronary angiographic stenosis less than 50%. This data triggered an increasing interest in the medical community. The American Society of Cardiology recently published a position paper about the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of this entity. Our group performed a narrative review reflecting the opinion of cardiology experts from different centers in Argentina. It aims physiopatologic and diagnostic aspect to understand the current approach in patients with MINOCA (myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries) e INOCA (demonstrated angina and ischemia but without coronary lesions that justify this syndrome).

Una de cada 4 coronariografías realizadas por isquemia miocárdica presenta lesiones menores al 50% Este dato desencadenó un creciente interés en la comunidad médica. La Sociedad Americana de Cardiología publicó recientemente un artículo que describe la posición consensuada de un grupo de expertos sobre la fisiopatología, el diagnóstico y el tratamiento de esta entidad. Nuestro trabajo refleja una revisión narrativa y la posición de un grupo de expertos pertenecientes a diferentes instituciones con servicios de Cardiología jerarquizados. Aborda aspectos fisiopatológicos y diagnósticos para comprender el enfoque actual del tratamiento, tanto en pacientes que ingresan con diagnóstico de MINOCA (infa rto de miocardio con lesiones angiográficas no graves) o de INOCA (angina e isquemia demostradas, pero sin lesiones coronarias que justifiquen este síndrome).

Radiation dose reduction and static image quality assessment using a channelized hotelling observer on an angiography system upgraded with clarity IQ.

The goal of this paper was the comparison of radiation dose and imaging quality before and after the Clarity IQ technology installation in a Philips AlluraXper FD20/20 angiography system using a Channelized Hotelling Observer model (CHO). The core characteristics of the Allura Clarity IQ technology are its real-time noise reduction algorithms (NRT) combined with state-of-the-art hardware; this technology allows to implement acquisition protocols able to significantly reduce patient entrance dose. To measure the system performances in terms of image quality we used a contrast detail phantom in a clinical scatter condition. A Leeds TO10 phantom has been imaged between two 10 cm thick homogeneous solid water slabs. Fluoroscopy images were acquired using a cerebral protocol at 3 dose levels (low, medium and high) with a field- of view (FOV) of 31 cm. Cineangiography images were acquired using a cerebral protocol at 2 fps. Thus, 4 acquisitions were obtained for the conventional technology and 4 acquisitions were taken after the Clarity IQ upgrade, for a total of 8 different image sets. A validated 40 Gabor channels CHO with an internal noise model compared the image sets. Human observers' studies were carried out to tune the internal noise parameter. We showed that the CHO did not detect any significant difference between any of the image sets acquired using the two technologies. Consequently, this x-ray imaging technology provides a non-inferior image quality with an average patient dose reduction of 57% and 28% respectively in cineangiography and fluoroscopy. The Clarity IQ installation has certainly allowed a considerable improvement in patient and staff safety, while maintaining the same image quality.

Myocardial Perfusion by Coronary Computed Tomography in the Evaluation of Myocardial Ischemia: Simultaneous Stress Protocol with SPECT / Perfusão Miocárdica por Angiotomografia de Coronárias na Avaliação da Isquemia Miocárdica: Protocolo de Estresse Simultâneo com SPECT

Abstract Background: Functional assessment to rule out myocardial ischemia using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is extremely important and data on the Brazilian population are still limited. Objective: To assess the diagnostic performance of myocardial perfusion by CCTA in the detection of severe obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT). To analyze the importance of anatomical knowledge to understand the presence of myocardial perfusion defects on SPECT imaging that is not identified on computed tomography (CT) scan. Method: A total of 35 patients were evaluated by a simultaneous pharmacologic stress protocol. Fisher's exact test was used to compare proportions. The patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of significant CAD. The area under the ROC curve was used to identify the diagnostic performance of CCTA and SPECT in perfusion assessment. P < 0.05 values were considered statistically significant. Results: For detection of obstructive CAD, CT myocardial perfusion analysis yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.84 [a 95% confidence interval (CI95%): 0.67-0.94, p < 0.001]. SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging, on the other hand, showed an AUC of 0.58 (95% CI 0.40 - 0.74, p < 0.001). In this study, false-positive results with SPECT are described. Conclusion: Myocardial perfusion analysis by CTA displays satisfactory results compared to SPECT in the detection of obstructive CAD. CCTA can rule out false-positive results of SPECT.

Resumo Fundamento: A avaliação funcional para descartar a isquemia miocárdica utilizando a angiotomografia computadorizada (angio-TC) de coronárias é de extrema importância e dados na população brasileira ainda são escassos. Objetivo: Avaliar o desempenho diagnóstico da perfusão miocárdica pela angio-TC de coronárias na detecção de doença arterial coronariana (DAC) obstrutiva significativa em comparação com a tomografia computadorizada por emissão de fóton único (SPECT; do inglês, single photon emission computerized tomography). Analisar a importância do conhecimento anatômico para entender a presença de defeito de perfusão miocárdica pela SPECT que não é identificado pela tomografia computadorizada (TC). Método: Trinta e cinco pacientes foram avaliados por um protocolo de estresse farmacológico simultâneo. O teste exato de Fisher foi utilizado para comparação entre as proporções. Os pacientes foram agrupados de acordo com a presença ou não de DAC significativa. A área sob a curva foi utilizada para identificar o desempenho diagnóstico da avaliação da perfusão pela angio-TC de coronárias e pela SPECT. Os valores de p < 0,05 foram considerados estatisticamente significativos. Resultados: Para detecção de DAC obstrutiva a avaliação da perfusão miocárdica pela TC teve uma área sob a curva de 0,84 [intervalo de confiança de 95% (IC95%): 0,67 a 0,94, p < 0,001]. Já o estudo da perfusão miocárdica pela SPECT foi de 0,58 (IC95%: 0,40 a 0,74, p < 0,001). Neste estudo, foram descritos falso-positivos pela SPECT. Conclusão: A avaliação da perfusão miocárdica pela angio-TC apresenta resultados satisfatórios em comparação com os da SPECT na detecção de DAC obstrutiva. A angio-TC de coronárias tem capacidade de afastar falso-positivos da SPECT.

Myocardial Perfusion by Coronary Computed Tomography in the Evaluation of Myocardial Ischemia: Simultaneous Stress Protocol with SPECT.

BACKGROUND: Functional assessment to rule out myocardial ischemia using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is extremely important and data on the Brazilian population are still limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic performance of myocardial perfusion by CCTA in the detection of severe obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT). To analyze the importance of anatomical knowledge to understand the presence of myocardial perfusion defects on SPECT imaging that is not identified on computed tomography (CT) scan. METHOD: A total of 35 patients were evaluated by a simultaneous pharmacologic stress protocol. Fisher's exact test was used to compare proportions. The patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of significant CAD. The area under the ROC curve was used to identify the diagnostic performance of CCTA and SPECT in perfusion assessment. P < 0.05 values were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: For detection of obstructive CAD, CT myocardial perfusion analysis yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.84 [a 95% confidence interval (CI95%): 0.67-0.94, p < 0.001]. SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging, on the other hand, showed an AUC of 0.58 (95% CI 0.40 - 0.74, p < 0.001). In this study, false-positive results with SPECT are described. CONCLUSION: Myocardial perfusion analysis by CTA displays satisfactory results compared to SPECT in the detection of obstructive CAD. CCTA can rule out false-positive results of SPECT.

Long-Term Traumatic and Asymptomatic Aorto-Right Atrial Fistula.

Aorto-atrial fistulas due to cardiac trauma are rare, and survivors require immediate surgical correction. Here, we report a case of an aorto-right atrial fistula due to penetrating trauma after a 16-year evolution, which developed symptoms of acute coronary syndrome and was treated with myocardial revascularization and correction of the aorto-cameral fistula.

Long-term traumatic and asymptomatic aorto-right atrial fistula

Abstract Aorto-atrial fistulas due to cardiac trauma are rare, and survivors require immediate surgical correction. Here, we report a case of an aorto-right atrial fistula due to penetrating trauma after a 16-year evolution, which developed symptoms of acute coronary syndrome and was treated with myocardial revascularization and correction of the aorto-cameral fistula.

Patch-Based Adaptive Background Subtraction for Vascular Enhancement in X-Ray Cineangiograms.

OBJECTIVE: Automatic vascular enhancement in X-ray cineangiography is of crucial interest, for instance, for better visualizing and quantifying coronary arteries in diagnostic and interventional procedures. METHODS: A novel patch-based adaptive background subtraction method (PABSM) is proposed automatically enhancing vessels in coronary X-ray cineangiography. First, pixels in the cineangiogram are described by the vesselness and Gabor features. Second, a classifier is utilized to separate the cineangiogram into the rough vascular and non-vascular region. Dilation is applied to the classified binary image to include more vascular region. Third, a patch-based background synthesis is utilized to fill the removed vascular region. RESULTS: A database containing 320 cineangiograms of 175 patients was collected, and then an interventional cardiologist annotated all vascular structures. The performance of PABSM is compared with six state-of-the-art vascular enhancement methods regarding the precision-recall curve and C-value. The area under the precision-recall curve is 0.7133, and the C-value is 0.9659. CONCLUSION: PABSM can automatically enhance the coronary artery in the cineangiograms. It preserves the integrity of vascular topological structures, particularly in complex vascular regions, and removes noise caused by the non-uniform gray-level distribution in the cineangiogram. SIGNIFICANCE: PABSM can avoid the motion artifacts and it eases the subsequent vascular segmentation, which is crucial for the diagnosis and interventional procedures of coronary artery diseases.

Significance of nailfold videocapillaroscopy in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and immunological significance of nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) abnormalities in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Methods: Seventy consecutive Japanese patients with untreated IIMs, enrolled between April 2014 and August 2017, were prospectively studied. Clinical features, NVC findings, autoantibody profile by immunoprecipitation and ELISA, and histopathological findings of skin biopsies of DM rash were assessed at baseline and after 1-year of immunosuppressive therapy. Results: NVC abnormalities were found in 55.7% (39/70) of IIM patients, with significantly higher prevalence in DM (65.4%) compared with PM (27.8%) (P = 0.01). In subsets of patients classified by autoantibody specificities, the prevalence of NVC abnormalities was significantly higher in patients with anti-MDA5 (87.5%) and anti-transcriptional intermediary factor 1γ (88.9%) vs anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (26.9%, P < 0.001). Perivascular lymphocytic infiltration in the upper dermis of skin rash biopsy of DM was more severe in patients with NVC abnormalities (P < 0.05). Unexpectedly, NVC abnormalities disappeared in 75% of IIM patients after 1-year of immunosuppressive therapy in contrast to stable NVC changes seen in scleroderma patients. Conclusion: Nailfold microvascular abnormalities were common in DM patients, associated with anti-MDA5 and transcriptional intermediary factor 1γ antibodies, and perivascular inflammation in skin histology. NVC abnormalities in IIMs may become clinically useful markers for defining subsets of DM and understanding the pathogenesis of the clinical features seen in these patients.

Perfil de pacientes internados com diagnóstico de síndrome coronariana aguda / Profile of patients admitted to hospital with diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome

OBJETIVO: Descrever o perfil de pacientes internados com diagnóstico de síndrome coronariana aguda. MÉTODOS: Estudo analítico, observacional e transversal, com dados obtidos da análise dos prontuários de cem pacientes internados em um hospital, de fevereiro de 2014 a janeiro de 2015, os quais tiveram diagnóstico de síndrome coronariana aguda e foram regulados para a realização da cineangiocoronariografia. Foi traçado o perfil epidemiológico e fisiopatológico desta população. RESULTADOS: Em nossa amostra, 49 (55,7%) pacientes eram do sexo masculino, com média de idade de 63,88±13,3 anos, sendo 60,2% acima de 60 anos. O quadro clínico mais prevalente foi angina instável (41%). Constatou-se maior prevalência de portadores de hipertensão arterial (88,7%), além de associação positiva entre os pacientes com idade avançada e doença multiarterial. Também foi encontrada obstrução coronariana significativa em cerca de 90% dos pacientes diabéticos. Cineangiocoronariografia sem lesão significativa foi duas vezes mais identificada, em comparação com dados da American College of Cardiology. CONCLUSÃO: Fatores de risco modificáveis devem ser controlados, visando à redução do número de casos de doenças cardiovasculares agudas e daqueles com desfechos desfavoráveis. Sugere-se que a divulgação dos sintomas de infarto seja ampliada, para que os pacientes cheguem à emergência em tempo hábil de receber o tratamento.(AU)

OBJECTIVE: To describe the profile of patients admitted to Hospital with a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome METHODS: This is an analytical, observational and crosssectional study with data obtained from the analyses of the medical records of 100 patients admitted to a hospital from February/2014 to January / 2015), who were diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome, and were regulated for undergoing coronary angiography. The epidemiological and pathophysiological profile of this population was described. RESULTS: In our sample, there were 49 (55.7 %) male patients with a mean age of 63.88±13.3 years, with 60.2 % being over 60 years. The most prevalent clinical condition was unstable angina (41%). A higher prevalence of patients with hypertension (88.7 %) was found, as well as a positive association of patients with advanced age and multivessel disease. We also find significant coronary obstruction in about 90 % of diabetic patients. Coronary angiographywith no significant lesion was twice as identified if compared with the American College of Cardiology data. CONCLUSION: The modifiable risk factors should be monitored, in order to reduce the number of cases of acute cardiovascular disease and those with unfavorable outcomes. The dissemination of information about infarction should be enhanced for the patients to search for emergent care in a timely manner.(AU)

Real-Time Cineangiography Visualization of Cerebral Aneurysm Rupture in an Awake Patient: Anatomic, Physiological, and Functional Correlates.

Intracranial aneurysms are common and, on a population-based perspective, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality as a result of mass effect or rupture. Cerebral angiography is the primary technique used for the diagnosis of cerebral aneurysms, and the imaging data have additional utility for planning medical, endovascular, or surgical treatments. An extremely rare periprocedural complication of cerebral angiography is rupture of the aneurysm, either as a chance phenomenon or as a result of some physiologic change or mechanical effect. We report on a single awake, alert patient who experienced intraprocedural aneurysm rupture that was recorded in real time during diagnostic cerebral angiography and subsequently proved fatal. Rupture occurred shortly after the completion of contrast material injection into a semi-open vascular bed and appeared to be temporally unrelated to any supranormal change in systemic physiology. No therapeutic endovascular procedure was planned or attempted. From the high-quality sequential, frame-by-frame images, and electronic sedation and anesthesiology records, plus our own real-time observations (G.L., W.L.L.), we were able (for educational purposes) to reconstruct the time course of rupture of the aneurysm, the velocity and pattern of blood escaping the aneurysm and entering the subarachnoid space, and other physiologic and functional correlates (blood pressure changes, alterations in consciousness) that may be critical to our understanding of the mechanism and consequences of aneurysm rupture.

Avaliação da Função Endotelial em Mulheres Climatéricas com Doença Arterial Coronariana / Evaluation of Endothelial Function in Pre-Menopausal Women With Coronary Arterial Disease

Fundamentos: O endotélio desempenha importante função reguladora vascular. Sua disfunção é um marcador precoce de risco cardiovascular. Entretanto, existem poucos estudos em nosso meio que avaliem a função endotelial em mulheres climatéricas. Objetivo: Avaliar a função endotelial em mulheres climatéricas na presença ou ausência de doença arterial coronariana utilizando-se um método biofísico (espessura médio-intimal das carótidas) e um método bioquímico (níveis séricos de PCR-US). Métodos: Estudo transversal que avaliou o espessamento médio-intimal da artéria carótida e níveis séricos de PCR-US de 31 mulheres climatéricas submetidas a cineangiocoronariografia, no Serviço de Hemodinâmica do Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal do Maranhão, no período de março de 2012 a julho de 2013. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística. Considerou-se um nível de significância de 5%. Resultados:A amostra foi dividida em dois grupos, de acordo com presença de doença arterial coronariana (DAC): grupo com DAC (n = 13) e grupo sem DAC (n = 18). As médias de idades para os grupos foram 57,92 ± 5,17 e 51,72 ± 4,63 anos, respectivamente (p = 0,001). A EMI esteve alterada em 29,03% na população geral. A espessura médio- intimal foi de 1,55 ± 0,78 mm no grupo geral, 1,92 ± 0,94 mm no grupo com DAC e 1,18 ± 0,71 mm no grupo sem DAC (p = 0,001). As pacientes com DAC apresentaram predomínio de alteração da EMI quando comparadas aquelas sem DAC: 36,46% vs. 22,22%, respectivamente. Observou-se uma sensibilidade de 38%, especificidade de 77%, com um valor preditivo positivo de 0,55 e valor preditivo negativo de 0,63 com razão de verossimilhança para teste positivo (likelihood ratio) de 1,73. As pacientes com EMI alterado apresentaram níveis mais elevados de PCR-US, porém sem significância estatística. As pacientes com DAC apresentaram níveis mais elevados de PCR-US, porém sem significância estatística. Conclusão: Na população estudada, a avaliação da função endotelial pelo método da EMI apresentou maior sensibilidade e especificidade para o diagnóstico de DAC quando comparada a mensuração dos níveis de PCR-US em mulheres climatéricas

Background: The endothelium plays an important vascular regulatory function. Its dysfunction is an early marker of cardiovascular risk. However, there are few studies in our community that assess endothelial function in pre-menopausal women. Objective: To assess endothelial function in pre-menopausal women in the presence or absence of coronary artery disease, using a biophysical method (carotid intima media thickness) and a biochemical method (serum levels of hsCRP). Methods: Cross-sectional study that evaluated carotid intima-media thickness and serum levels of hsCRP of 31 pre-menopausal women undergoing coronary angiography at the Hemodynamics Service of Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal do Maranhão from March 2012 to July 2013. The data were sent to statistical analysis and a statistical significance level of 5% was considered. Results: The sample was divided into two groups according to the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD): CAD group (n = 13) and group without CAD (n = 18). The average ages for the groups were 57.92 ± 5.17 and 51.72 ± 4.63 years, respectively (p = 0.001). CIMT was abnormal in 29.03% in the general population. Carotid intima-media thickness was 1.55 ± 0.78 mm in the general group, 1.92 ± 0.94 mm in the CAD group and 1.18 ± 0.71 mm in the group without CAD (p = 0.001). CAD patients had predominance of abnormal CMIT compared those without CAD: 36.46% vs. 22.22%, respectively. There was a sensitivity of 38%, specificity of 77% with a positive predictive value of 0.55 and a negative predictive value of 0.63 with likelihood ratio of 1.73. Patients with abnormal CIMT presented higher levels of hsCRP, but without statistical significance. CAD patients had higher levels of hsCRP, but without statistical significance. Conclusion: In the population studied, assessment of endothelial function using the CIMT method showed higher sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CAD compared to the measurement of hsCRP levels in menopausal women

Comparative Study between Perfusion Changes and Positive Findings on Coronary Flow Reserve / Estudo Comparativo entre Alterações de Perfusão e Achados Positivos da Reserva de Fluxo Coronariano

Abstract Background: Functional assessment of coronary artery obstruction is used in cardiology practice to correlate anatomic obstructions with flow decrease. Among such assessments, the study of the coronary fractional flow reserve (FFR) has become the most widely used. Objective: To evaluate the correlation between FFR and findings of ischemia obtained by noninvasive methods including stress echocardiography and nuclear medicine and the presence of critical coronary artery obstruction. Methods: Retrospective study of cases treated with systematized and standardized procedures for coronary disease between March 2011 and August 2014. We included 96 patients with 107 critical coronary obstructions (> 50% in the coronary trunk and/or ≥ 70% in other segments) estimated by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS). All cases presented ischemia in one of the noninvasive studies. Results: All 96 patients presented ischemia (100%) in one of the functional tests. On FFR study with adenosine 140 g/kg/min, 52% of the cases had values ≤ 0.80. On correlation analysis for FFR ≤ 0.80, the evaluation of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy, and ROC curve in relation to the stenosis degree and length, and presence of ischemia, no significant values or strong correlation were observed. Conclusion: Coronary FFR using a cut-off value of 0.80 showed no correlation with noninvasive ischemia tests in patients with severe coronary artery obstructions on QCA and ICUS.

Resumo Fundamento: A avaliação funcional da obstrução arterial coronariana é empregada na prática cardiológica para correlacionar a obstrução anatômica e a queda de fluxo. Dentre as formas de avaliação, o estudo da reserva fracionada de fluxo (RFF) coronariano se tornou a mais utilizada. Objetivo: Avaliar a correlação entre a RFF com achados de isquemia, obtidos por métodos não invasivos como a ecocardiografia de estresse ou medicina nuclear, e a presença de obstrução crítica da artéria coronária. Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo de casos tratados com procedimentos sistematizados e padronizados para doença coronariana entre março de 2011 e agosto de 2014. Foram incluídos 96 pacientes com 107 obstruções coronarianas críticas (> 50% no tronco da coronária e/ou ≥ 70% nos demais segmentos) estimadas por angiografia coronariana quantitativa (ACQ) e ultrassonografia intracoronariana (USIC). Todos os casos apresentaram isquemia em um dos estudos não invasivos. Resultados: Ao estudo da RFF com adenosina na dose de 140 µg/kg/min, valores ≤ 0,80 foram encontrados em 52% dos casos. Na análise de correlação para RFF ≤ 0,80, avaliando-se sensibilidade/especificidade, valor preditivo positivo/negativo, acurácia e curva ROC em relação ao grau de estenose, extensão da estenose e presença de isquemia, não foram observados valores de significância ou de forte correlação. Conclusão: A RFF coronariana a um valor de corte de 0,80 não apresentou correlação com testes não invasivos de isquemia em pacientes com obstruções coronarianas graves à ACQ e USIC.