OBJECTIVES: In a computed tomographic (CT) angiography study, we identified the characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions that were associated with subsequent development of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). BACKGROUND: The CT characteristics of culprit lesions in ACS include positive vessel remodeling (PR) and low-attenuation plaques (LAP). These 2 features have been observed in the lesions that have already resulted in ACS, but their prospective relation to ACS has not been previously described. METHODS: In 1,059 patients who underwent CT angiography, atherosclerotic lesions were analyzed for the presence of 2 features: PR and LAP. The remodeling index, and plaque and LAP areas and volumes were calculated. The plaque characteristics of lesions resulting in ACS during the follow-up of 27 +/- 10 months were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 45 patients showing plaques with both PR and LAP (2-feature positive plaques), ACS developed in 10 (22.2%), compared with 1 (3.7%) of the 27 patients with plaques displaying either feature (1-feature positive plaques). In only 4 (0.5%) of the 820 patients with neither PR nor LAP (2-feature negative plaques) did ACS develop. None of the 167 patients with normal angiograms had acute coronary events (p < 0.001). ACS was independently predicted by PR and/or LAP (hazard ratio: 22.8, 95% confidence interval: 6.9 to 75.2, p < 0.001). Among 2- or 1-feature positive segments, those resulting in ACS demonstrated significantly larger remodeling index (126.7 +/- 3.9% vs. 113.4 +/- 1.6%, p = 0.003), plaque volume (134.9 +/- 14.1 mm(3) vs. 57.8 +/- 5.7 mm(3), p < 0.001), LAP volume (20.4 +/- 3.4 mm(3) vs. 1.1 +/- 1.4 mm(3), p < 0.001), and percent LAP/total plaque area (21.4 +/- 3.7 mm(2) vs. 7.7 +/- 1.5 mm(2), p = 0.001) compared with segments not resulting in ACS. CONCLUSIONS: The patients demonstrating positively remodeled coronary segments with low-attenuation plaques on CT angiography were at a higher risk of ACS developing over time when compared with patients having lesions without these characteristics.
OBJECTIVES: In a computed tomographic (CT) angiography study, we identified the characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions that were associated with subsequent development of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). BACKGROUND: The CT characteristics of culprit lesions in ACS include positive vessel remodeling (PR) and low-attenuation plaques (LAP). These 2 features have been observed in the lesions that have already resulted in ACS, but their prospective relation to ACS has not been previously described. METHODS: In 1,059 patients who underwent CT angiography, atherosclerotic lesions were analyzed for the presence of 2 features: PR and LAP. The remodeling index, and plaque and LAP areas and volumes were calculated. The plaque characteristics of lesions resulting in ACS during the follow-up of 27 +/- 10 months were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 45 patients showing plaques with both PR and LAP (2-feature positive plaques), ACS developed in 10 (22.2%), compared with 1 (3.7%) of the 27 patients with plaques displaying either feature (1-feature positive plaques). In only 4 (0.5%) of the 820 patients with neither PR nor LAP (2-feature negative plaques) did ACS develop. None of the 167 patients with normal angiograms had acute coronary events (p < 0.001). ACS was independently predicted by PR and/or LAP (hazard ratio: 22.8, 95% confidence interval: 6.9 to 75.2, p < 0.001). Among 2- or 1-feature positive segments, those resulting in ACS demonstrated significantly larger remodeling index (126.7 +/- 3.9% vs. 113.4 +/- 1.6%, p = 0.003), plaque volume (134.9 +/- 14.1 mm(3) vs. 57.8 +/- 5.7 mm(3), p < 0.001), LAP volume (20.4 +/- 3.4 mm(3) vs. 1.1 +/- 1.4 mm(3), p < 0.001), and percent LAP/total plaque area (21.4 +/- 3.7 mm(2) vs. 7.7 +/- 1.5 mm(2), p = 0.001) compared with segments not resulting in ACS. CONCLUSIONS: The patients demonstrating positively remodeled coronary segments with low-attenuation plaques on CT angiography were at a higher risk of ACS developing over time when compared with patients having lesions without these characteristics.
Authors: Stefan B Puchner; Michael T Lu; Thomas Mayrhofer; Ting Liu; Amit Pursnani; Brian B Ghoshhajra; Quynh A Truong; Stephen D Wiviott; Jerome L Fleg; Udo Hoffmann; Maros Ferencik Journal: Radiology Date: 2014-11-04 Impact factor: 11.105
Authors: Lorenzo Hernando; Cecilia Corros; Nieves Gonzalo; Rosana Hernández-Antolin; Camino Bañuelos; Pilar Jiménez-Quevedo; Esther Bernardo; Antonio Fernández-Ortiz; Javier Escaned; Carlos Macaya; Fernando Alfonso Journal: Int J Cardiovasc Imaging Date: 2012-04-21 Impact factor: 2.357
Authors: Markella V Zanni; Suhny Abbara; Janet Lo; Bryan Wai; David Hark; Eleni Marmarelis; Steven K Grinspoon Journal: AIDS Date: 2013-05-15 Impact factor: 4.177
Authors: Waleed Ahmed; Christopher L Schlett; Shanmugam Uthamalingam; Quynh A Truong; Wolfgang Koenig; Ian S Rogers; Ron Blankstein; John T Nagurney; Ahmed Tawakol; James L Januzzi; Udo Hoffmann Journal: JACC Cardiovasc Imaging Date: 2013-01