TY - JOUR
T1 - High-risk plaque detected on coronary CT angiography predicts acute coronary syndromes independent of significant stenosis in acute chest pain
T2 - Results from the ROMICAT-II trial
AU - Puchner, Stefan B.
AU - Liu, Ting
AU - Mayrhofer, Thomas
AU - Truong, Quynh A.
AU - Lee, Hang
AU - Fleg, Jerome L.
AU - Nagurney, John T.
AU - Udelson, James E.
AU - Hoffmann, Udo
AU - Ferencik, Maros
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) ( U01HL092040 and U01HL092022 ). Dr. Truong has received support from the National Institutes of Health / NHLBI (K23HL098370 and L30HL093896), St. Jude Medical , American College of Radiology Imaging Network , and Duke Clinical Research Institute . Dr. Nagurney has received research grants from Biosite / Allere , Brahms Limited / Thermo-Fisher , and Nanosphere for work on cardiac biomarkers. Dr. Udelson has received research grants from the NHLBI (U01HL092040 and U01HL092022). Dr. Ferencik has received support from the American Heart Association ( 13FTF16450001 ). All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.
PY - 2014/8/19
Y1 - 2014/8/19
N2 - Background It is not known whether high-risk plaque, as detected by coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA), permits improved early diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) independently to the presence of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with acute chest pain. Objectives The primary aim of this study was to determine whether high-risk plaque features, as detected by CTA in the emergency department (ED), may improve diagnostic certainty of ACS independently and incrementally to the presence of significant CAD and clinical risk assessment in patients with acute chest pain but without objective evidence of myocardial ischemia or myocardial infarction (MI). Methods We included patients randomized to the coronary CTA arm of the ROMICAT-II (Rule Out Myocardial Infarction/Ischemia Using Computer-Assisted Tomography II) trial. Readers assessed coronary CTA qualitatively for the presence of nonobstructive CAD (1% to 49% stenosis), significant CAD (≥50% or ≥70% stenosis), and the presence of at least 1 of the high-risk plaque features (positive remodeling, low <30 Hounsfield units plaque, napkin-ring sign, spotty calcium). In logistic regression analysis, we determined the association of high-risk plaque with ACS (MI or unstable angina pectoris) during the index hospitalization and whether this was independent of significant CAD and clinical risk assessment. Results Overall, 37 of 472 patients who underwent coronary CTA with diagnostic image quality (mean age 53.9 ± 8.0 years; 52.8% men) had ACS (7.8%; MI n = 5; unstable angina pectoris n = 32). CAD was present in 262 patients (55.5%; nonobstructive CAD in 217 patients [46.0%] and significant CAD with ≥50% stenosis in 45 patients [9.5%]). High-risk plaques were more frequent in patients with ACS and remained a significant predictor of ACS (odds ratio [OR]: 8.9; 95% CI: 1.8 to 43.3; p = 0.006) after adjustment for ≥50% stenosis (OR: 38.6; 95% CI: 14.2 to 104.7; p < 0.001) and clinical risk assessment (age, sex, number of cardiovascular risk factors). Similar results were observed after adjustment for ≥70% stenosis. Conclusions In patients presenting to the ED with acute chest pain but negative initial electrocardiogram and troponin, presence of high-risk plaques on coronary CTA increased the likelihood of ACS independent of significant CAD and clinical risk assessment (age, sex, and number of cardiovascular risk factors). (Multicenter Study to Rule Out Myocardial Infarction by Cardiac Computed Tomography [ROMICAT-II]; NCT01084239).
AB - Background It is not known whether high-risk plaque, as detected by coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA), permits improved early diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) independently to the presence of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with acute chest pain. Objectives The primary aim of this study was to determine whether high-risk plaque features, as detected by CTA in the emergency department (ED), may improve diagnostic certainty of ACS independently and incrementally to the presence of significant CAD and clinical risk assessment in patients with acute chest pain but without objective evidence of myocardial ischemia or myocardial infarction (MI). Methods We included patients randomized to the coronary CTA arm of the ROMICAT-II (Rule Out Myocardial Infarction/Ischemia Using Computer-Assisted Tomography II) trial. Readers assessed coronary CTA qualitatively for the presence of nonobstructive CAD (1% to 49% stenosis), significant CAD (≥50% or ≥70% stenosis), and the presence of at least 1 of the high-risk plaque features (positive remodeling, low <30 Hounsfield units plaque, napkin-ring sign, spotty calcium). In logistic regression analysis, we determined the association of high-risk plaque with ACS (MI or unstable angina pectoris) during the index hospitalization and whether this was independent of significant CAD and clinical risk assessment. Results Overall, 37 of 472 patients who underwent coronary CTA with diagnostic image quality (mean age 53.9 ± 8.0 years; 52.8% men) had ACS (7.8%; MI n = 5; unstable angina pectoris n = 32). CAD was present in 262 patients (55.5%; nonobstructive CAD in 217 patients [46.0%] and significant CAD with ≥50% stenosis in 45 patients [9.5%]). High-risk plaques were more frequent in patients with ACS and remained a significant predictor of ACS (odds ratio [OR]: 8.9; 95% CI: 1.8 to 43.3; p = 0.006) after adjustment for ≥50% stenosis (OR: 38.6; 95% CI: 14.2 to 104.7; p < 0.001) and clinical risk assessment (age, sex, number of cardiovascular risk factors). Similar results were observed after adjustment for ≥70% stenosis. Conclusions In patients presenting to the ED with acute chest pain but negative initial electrocardiogram and troponin, presence of high-risk plaques on coronary CTA increased the likelihood of ACS independent of significant CAD and clinical risk assessment (age, sex, and number of cardiovascular risk factors). (Multicenter Study to Rule Out Myocardial Infarction by Cardiac Computed Tomography [ROMICAT-II]; NCT01084239).
KW - acute chest pain
KW - acute coronary syndrome
KW - coronary atherosclerotic plaque
KW - coronary computed tomography
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.05.039
DO - 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.05.039
M3 - Article
C2 - 25125300
AN - SCOPUS:84905980325
SN - 0735-1097
VL - 64
SP - 684
EP - 692
JO - Journal of the American College of Cardiology
JF - Journal of the American College of Cardiology
IS - 7
ER -