Search

Background High-risk plaque (HRP) features as detected by coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) predict acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We sought to determine whether coronary CTA-specific definitions of HRP improve discrimination of patients with ACS as compared with definitions from intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Methods and Results In patients with suspected ACS, randomized to coronary CTA in the ROMICAT II (Rule Out Myocardial Infarction/Ischemia Using Computer Assisted Tomography II) trial, we retrospectively performed semiautomated quantitative analysis of HRP (including remodeling index, plaque burden as derived by plaque area, low computed tomography attenuation plaque volume) and degree of luminal stenosis and analyzed the performance of traditional IVUS thresholds to detect ACS. Furthermore, we derived CTA-specific thresholds in patients with ACS to detect culprit lesions and applied those to all patients to calculate the discriminatory ability to detect ACS in comparison to IVUS thresholds. Of 472 patients, 255 patients (56±7.8 years; 63% men) had coronary plaque. In 32 patients (6.8%) with ACS, culprit plaques (n=35) differed from nonculprit plaques (n=172) with significantly greater values for all HRP features except minimal luminal area (significantly lower; all P<0.01). IVUS definitions showed good performance while minimal luminal area (odds ratio: 6.82; P=0.014) and plaque burden (odds ratio: 5.71; P=0.008) were independently associated with ACS but not remodeling index (odds ratio: 0.78; P=0.673). Optimized CTA-specific thresholds for plaque burden (area under the curve: 0.832 versus 0.676) and degree of stenosis (area under the curve: 0.826 versus 0.721) showed significantly higher diagnostic performance for ACS as compared with IVUS-based thresholds (all P<0.05) with borderline significance for minimal luminal area (area under the curve: 0.817 versus 0.742; P=0.066). Conclusions CTA-specific definitions of HRP features may improve the discrimination of patients with ACS as compared with IVUS-based definitions. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01084239.

Objectives: To determine resource utilisation according to age and gender-specific subgroups in two large randomized diagnostic trials., Methods: We pooled patient-specific data from ACRIN-PA 4005 and ROMICAT II that enrolled subjects with acute chest pain at 14 US sites. Subjects were randomized between a standard work-up and a pathway utilizing cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and followed for the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and resource utilisation during index hospitalisation and 1-month follow-up. Study endpoints included diagnostic accuracy of CCTA for the detection of ACS as well as resource utilisation., Results: Among 1240 patients who underwent CCTA, negative predictive value of CCTA to rule out ACS remained very high (≥99.4%). The proportion of patients undergoing additional diagnostic testing and cost increased with age for both sexes (p < 0.001), and was higher in men as compared to women older than 60 years (43.1% vs. 23.4% and $4559 ± 3382 vs. $3179 ± 2562, p < 0.01; respectively). Cost to rule out ACS was higher in men (p < 0.001) and significantly higher for patients older than 60 years ($2860-5935 in men, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: CCTA strategy in patients with acute chest pain results in varying resource utilisation according to age and gender-specific subgroups, mandating improved selection for advanced imaging., Key Points: • In this analysis, CAD and ACS increased with age and male gender. • CCTA in patients with acute chest pain results in varying resource utilisation. • Significant increase of diagnostic testing and cost with age for both sexes. • Cost to rule out ACS is higher in men and patients >60 years. • Improved selection of subjects for cardiac CTA result in more resource-driven implementation.

Background: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) may impair diagnostic assessment of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA). We determined whether CAC affects efficiency of coronary CTA in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS)., Methods and Results: This is a pooled analysis of ACRIN-PA (American College of Radiology Imaging Network-Pennsylvania) 4005 and the ROMICAT-II trial (Rule Out Myocardial Infarction/Ischemia Using Computer Assisted Tomography) comparing an initial coronary CTA strategy to standard of care in acute chest pain patients. In the CTA arms, we investigated appropriateness of downstream testing, cost, and diagnostic yield to identify patients with obstructive coronary artery disease on subsequent invasive coronary angiography across CAC score strata (Agatston score: 0, >0-10, >10-100, >100-400, >400). Out of 1234 patients (mean age 51±8.8 years), 80 (6.5%) had obstructive coronary artery disease (≥70% stenosis) and 68 (5.5%) had ACS. Prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease (1%-64%), ACS (1%-44%), downstream testing (4%-72%), and total (2337-8484 US$) and diagnostic cost (2310-6678 US$) increased across CAC strata ( P <0.001). As the increase in testing and cost were lower than the increase of ACS rate in patients with CAC>400, cost to diagnose one ACS was lowest in this group (19 283 US$ versus 464 399 US$) as compared with patients without CAC. The diagnostic yield of invasive coronary angiography was highest in patients with CAC>400 (87% versus 38%)., Conclusions: Downstream testing, total, and diagnostic cost increased with increasing CAC, but were found to be appropriate because obstructive coronary artery disease and ACS were more prevalent in patients with high CAC. In patients with acute chest pain undergoing coronary CTA, cost-efficient testing and excellent diagnostic yield can be achieved even with high CAC burden., Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT01084239 and NCT00933400., (© 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.)

The evaluation of patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains a clinical challenge. The traditional assessment includes clinical risk assessment based on cardiovascular risk factors with serial electrocardiograms and cardiac troponin measurements, often followed by advanced cardiac testing as inpatient or outpatient (i.e. stress testing, imaging). Despite this costly and lengthy work-up, there is a non-negligible rate of missed ACS with an increased risk of death. There is a clinical need for diagnostic strategies that will lead to rapid and reliable triage of patients with suspected ACS. We provide an overview of the evidence for the role of highly sensitive troponin (hsTn) in the rapid and efficient evaluation of suspected ACS. Results of recent research studies have led to the introduction of hsTn with rapid rule-in and rule-out protocols into the guidelines. Highly sensitive troponin increases the sensitivity for the detection of myocardial infarction and decreases time to diagnosis; however, it may decrease the specificity, especially when used as a dichotomous variable, rather than continuous variable as recommended by guidelines; this may increase clinician uncertainty. We summarize the evidence for the use of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) as the rapid diagnostic tool in this population when used with conventional troponin assays. Coronary CTA significantly decreases time to diagnosis and discharge in patients with suspected ACS, while being safe. However, it may lead to increase in invasive procedures and includes radiation exposure. Finally, we outline the opportunities for the combined use of hsTn and coronary CTA that may result in increased efficiency, decreased need for imaging, lower cost, and decreased radiation dose., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is used in patients with low-intermediate chest pain presenting to the emergency department for its reliability in excluding acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, its influence on medication modification in this setting is unclear. We sought to determine whether knowledge of CCTA-based coronary artery disease (CAD) was associated with change in statin and aspirin prescription. We used the CCTA arm of the Rule Out Myocardial Infarction using Computed Angiographic Tomography II multicenter, randomized control trial (R-II) and comparison cohort from the observational Rule Out Myocardial Infarction using Computed Angiographic Tomography I cohort (R-I). In R-II, subjects were randomly assigned to CCTA to guide decision making, whereas in R-I patients underwent CCTA with results blinded to caregivers and managed according to standard care. Our final cohort consisted of 277 subjects from R-I and 370 from R-II. ACS rate was similar (6.9% vs 6.2% respectively, p = 0.75). For subjects with CCTA-detected obstructive CAD without ACS, initiation of statin was significantly greater after disclosure of CCTA results (0% in R-I vs 20% in R-II, p = 0.009). Conversely, for subjects without CCTA-detected CAD, aspirin prescription was lower with disclosure of CCTA results (16% in R-I vs 4.8% in R-II, p = 0.001). However, only 68% of subjects in R-II with obstructive CAD were discharged on statin and 65% on aspirin. In conclusion, physician knowledge of CCTA results leads to improved alignment of aspirin and statin with the presence and severity of CAD although still many patients with CCTA-detected CAD are not discharged on aspirin or statin. Our findings suggest opportunity for practice improvement when CCTA is performed in the emergency department., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) can be used to detect and quantitatively assess high-risk plaque features., Objective: To validate the ROMICAT score, which was derived using semi-automated quantitative measurements of high-risk plaque features, for the prediction of ACS., Material and Methods: We performed quantitative plaque analysis in 260 patients who presented to the emergency department with suspected ACS in the ROMICAT II trial. The readers used a semi-automated software (QAngio, Medis medical imaging systems BV) to measure high-risk plaque features (volume of <60HU plaque, remodeling index, spotty calcium, plaque length) and diameter stenosis in all plaques. We calculated a ROMICAT score, which was derived from the ROMICAT I study and applied to the ROMICAT II trial. The primary outcome of the study was diagnosis of an ACS during the index hospitalization., Results: Patient characteristics (age 57 ± 8 vs. 56 ± 8 years, cardiovascular risk factors) were not different between those with and without ACS (prevalence of ACS 7.8%). There were more men in the ACS group (84% vs. 59%, p = 0.005). When applying the ROMICAT score derived from the ROMICAT I trial to the patient population of the ROMICAT II trial, the ROMICAT score (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.4-6.0, p = 0.003) was a predictor of ACS after adjusting for gender and ≥ 50% stenosis. The AUC of the model containing ROMICAT score, gender, and ≥ 50% stenosis was 0.91 (95% CI 0.86-0.96) and was better than with a model that included only gender and ≥ 50% stenosis (AUC 0.85, 95%CI 0.77-0.92; p = 0.002)., Conclusions: The ROMICAT score derived from semi-automated quantitative measurements of high-risk plaque features was an independent predictor of ACS during the index hospitalization and was incremental to gender and presence of ≥ 50% stenosis., (Copyright © 2015 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is used in the emergency department to rule out acute coronary syndrome in low-intermediate risk patients., Objectives: We evaluated the potential of CCTA to tailor aspirin (ASA) and statin therapy in acute chest pain patients., Methods: We included all patients in the ROMICAT I trial who underwent CCTA before admission. Results of CCTA were blinded to caretakers. We documented ASA and statin therapy at admission and discharge and determined change in medications during hospitalization, agreement of discharge medications with contemporaneous guidelines, and agreement with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) as determined by CCTA., Results: We included 368 patients (53 ± 12 years; 61% male). Baseline medical therapy at presentation included 27% on ASA and 24% on statin. Most patients who qualified for secondary prevention were on ASA and statin therapy at discharge (95% and 80%, respectively), whereas among those qualifying for primary prevention therapy, only 59% of patients were on aspirin and 33% were on statin at discharge. Excluding secondary prevention patients, among those with CCTA-detected CAD, only 66/131 (50%) were on ASA at discharge and only 53/131 (40%) were on statin. Conversely, in those without CCTA-detected CAD, 54/156 (35%) were on ASA and 20/151 (13%) were on statin at discharge., Conclusion: There are significant discrepancies between discharge prescription of statin and ASA with the presence and extent of CAD. CCTA presents an efficient opportunity to tailor medical therapy to CAD in patients undergoing CCTA as part of their acute chest pain evaluation., (Copyright © 2015 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is recommended for the triage of acute chest pain in patients with a low-to-intermediate likelihood for acute coronary syndrome. Absence of coronary artery disease (CAD) confirmed by CCTA allows rapid emergency department discharge. This article shows that CCTA-based triage is as safe as traditional triage, reduces the hospital length of stay, and may provide cost-effective or even cost-saving care., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acute rest single-photon emission computed tomography-myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT-MPI) has high predictive value for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in emergency department patients. Prior studies have shown excellent agreement between rest/stress computed tomography perfusion (CTP) and SPECT-MPI, but the value of resting CTP (rCTP) in acute chest pain triage remains unclear. We sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of early rCTP, incremental value beyond obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD; ≥50% stenosis), and compared early rCTP to late stress SPECT-MPI in patients with CAD presenting with suspicion of ACS to the emergency department., Methods and Results: In this prespecified subanalysis of 183 patients (58.1±10.2 years; 33% women), we included patients with any CAD by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) from Rule Out Myocardial Infarction Using Computer-Assisted Tomography I. rCTP was assessed semiquantitatively, blinded to CAD interpretation. Overall, 31 had ACS and 48 had abnormal rCTP. Sensitivity and specificity of rCTP for ACS were 48% (95% confidence interval [CI], 30%-67%) and 78% (95% CI, 71%-85%), respectively. rCTP predicted ACS (adjusted odds ratio, 3.40 [95% CI, 1.37-8.42]; P=0.008) independently of obstructive CAD, and sensitivity for ACS increased from 77% (95% CI, 59%-90%) for obstructive CAD to 90% (95% CI, 74%-98%) with addition of rCTP (P=0.05). In a subgroup undergoing late rest/stress SPECT-MPI (n=81), CCTA/rCTP had noninferior discriminatory value to CCTA/SPECT-MPI (area under the curve, 0.88 versus 0.90; P=0.64) using a noninferiority margin of 10%., Conclusions: Early rCTP provides incremental value beyond obstructive CAD to detect ACS. CCTA/rCTP is noninferior to CCTA/SPECT-MPI to discriminate ACS and presents an attractive alternative to triage patients presenting with acute chest pain., Clinical Trial Registration Url: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00990262., (© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Objectives: The objective was to determine the association of four clinical risk scores and coronary plaque burden as detected by computed tomography (CT) with the outcome of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with acute chest pain. The hypothesis was that the combination of risk scores and plaque burden improved the discriminatory capacity for the diagnosis of ACS., Methods: The study was a subanalysis of the Rule Out Myocardial Infarction Using Computer-Assisted Tomography (ROMICAT) trial-a prospective observational cohort study. The authors enrolled patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a chief complaint of acute chest pain, inconclusive initial evaluation (negative biomarkers, nondiagnostic electrocardiogram [ECG]), and no history of coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients underwent contrast-enhanced 64-multidetector-row cardiac CT and received standard clinical care (serial ECG, cardiac biomarkers, and subsequent diagnostic testing, such as exercise treadmill testing, nuclear stress perfusion imaging, and/or invasive coronary angiography), as deemed clinically appropriate. The clinical providers were blinded to CT results. The chest pain score was calculated and the results were dichotomized to ≥10 (high-risk) and <10 (low-risk). Three risk scores were calculated, Goldman, Sanchis, and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI), and each patient was assigned to a low-, intermediate-, or high-risk category. Because of the low number of subjects in the high-risk group, the intermediate- and high-risk groups were combined into one. CT images were evaluated for the presence of plaque in 17 coronary segments. Plaque burden was stratified into none, intermediate, and high (zero, one to four, and more than four segments with plaque). An outcome panel of two physicians (blinded to CT findings) established the primary outcome of ACS (defined as either an acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina) during the index hospitalization (from the presentation to the ED to the discharge from the hospital). Logistic regression modeling was performed to examine the association of risk scores and coronary plaque burden to the outcome of ACS. Unadjusted models were individually fitted for the coronary plaque burden and for Goldman, Sanchis, TIMI, and chest pain scores. In adjusted analyses, the authors tested whether the association between risk scores and ACS persisted after controlling for the coronary plaque burden. The prognostic discriminatory capacity of the risk scores and plaque burden for ACS was assessed using c-statistics. The differences in area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) and c-statistics were tested by performing the -2 log likelihood ratio test of nested models. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Among 368 subjects, 31 (8%) subjects were diagnosed with ACS. Goldman (AUC = 0.61), Sanchis (AUC = 0.71), and TIMI (AUC = 0.63) had modest discriminatory capacity for the diagnosis of ACS. Plaque burden was the strongest predictor of ACS (AUC = 0.86; p < 0.05 for all comparisons with individual risk scores). The combination of plaque burden and risk scores improved prediction of ACS (plaque + Goldman AUC = 0.88, plaque + Sanchis AUC = 0.90, plaque + TIMI AUC = 0.88; p < 0.01 for all comparisons with coronary plaque burden alone)., Conclusions: Risk scores (Goldman, Sanchis, TIMI) have modest discriminatory capacity and coronary plaque burden has good discriminatory capacity for the diagnosis of ACS in patients with acute chest pain. The combined information of risk scores and plaque burden significantly improves the discriminatory capacity for the diagnosis of ACS., (© 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.)

We tested the hypothesis that morphologic lesion assessment helps detect acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during index hospitalization in patients with acute chest pain and significant stenosis on coronary computed tomographic angiogram (CTA). Patients who presented to an emergency department with chest pain but no objective signs of myocardial ischemia (nondiagnostic electrocardiogram and negative initial biomarkers) underwent CT angiography. CTA was analyzed for degree and length of stenosis, plaque area and volume, remodeling index, CT attenuation of plaque, and spotty calcium in all patients with significant stenosis (>50% in diameter) on CTA. ACS during index hospitalization was determined by a panel of 2 physicians blinded to results of CT angiography. For lesion characteristics associated with ACS, we determined cutpoints optimized for diagnostic accuracy and created lesion scores. For each score, we determined the odds ratio (OR) and discriminatory capacity for the prediction of ACS. Of the overall population of 368 patients, 34 had significant stenosis and 21 of those had ACS. Scores A (remodeling index plus spotty calcium: OR 3.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 10.1, area under curve [AUC] 0.734), B (remodeling index plus spotty calcium plus stenosis length: OR 4.6, 95% CI 1.6 to 13.7, AUC 0.824), and C (remodeling index plus spotty calcium plus stenosis length plus plaque volume <90 HU: OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.5 to 7.9, AUC 0.833) were significantly associated with ACS. In conclusion, in patients presenting with acute chest pain and stenosis on coronary CTA, a CT-based score incorporating morphologic characteristics of coronary lesions had a good discriminatory value for detection of ACS during index hospitalization., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Compared to troponin alone, a dual-marker strategy with natriuretic peptides may improve acute coronary syndrome (ACS) diagnosis with a single blood draw and provide physiologic information regarding underlying heart disease. We evaluate the value of adding natriuretic peptides (myocyte stress markers) to troponins (myocardial injury markers) for diagnosing ACS in emergency department patients with chest pain., Methods: In 328 patients (53 ± 12 years, 63% men) with an initially negative conventional troponin and nonischemic electrocardiogram who underwent 64-slice cardiac computed tomography (CT), we measured conventional troponin-T (cTnT), high-sensitivity troponin-T (hsTnT), N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide, and mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide. ACS was defined as myocardial infarction or unstable angina. CT was evaluated for coronary plaque, stenosis, and regional wall motion abnormality., Results: Patients with ACS (n = 29, 9%) had higher concentrations of each biomarker compared to those without (all P < .01). Adding natriuretic peptides, especially N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide, to both cTnT or hsTnT improved the C-statistics and net reclassification index for ACS, largely driven by correctly reclassifying events. Dual-negative marker results improved sensitivity (cTnT 38% to 83%-86%, hsTnT 59% to 86%-90%; all P < .01) and negative predictive value (cTnT 94% to 97%-98%, hsTnT 96% to 97%-98%) for ACS. Patients with dual-negative markers had the lowest percentage of CT coronary plaque, stenosis, and regional wall motion abnormality (all P-trend <.001)., Conclusion: Among emergency department patients with low-intermediate likelihood of ACS, combining natriuretic peptides with either conventional or highly-sensitive troponin improved discriminatory capacity and allowed for better reclassification of ACS, findings supported by structural and functional CT results., (Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Little information exists regarding how accurately emergency physicians (EPs) predict the probability of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Our objective was to determine if EPs can accurately predict ACS in a prospectively identified cohort of emergency department (ED) patients who met enrolment criteria for a study of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) and were admitted for a "rule out ACS" protocol., Methods: A prospective observational pilot study in an academic medical centre was carried out. EPs caring for patients with chest pain provided whole-number estimates of the probability of ACS after clinical review. This substudy was part of the now published Rule Out Myocardial Infarction/Ischemia Using Computer Assisted Tomography (ROMICAT) study, a study of CCTA and admission of patients for a rule out ACS protocol after a nondiagnostic evaluation. Predictions were grouped into probability groups based on the validated Goldman criteria. ACS was determined by an adjudication committee using American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/European Society of Cardiology guidelines., Results: A total of 334 predictions were obtained for a study population with a mean age of 54 (SD 12) years, 63% of whom were male. There were 35 ACS events. EPs predicted ACS better than by chance, and increasingly higher estimates were associated with a higher incidence of ACS (p = 0.0004). The percentage of patients with ACS was 0%, 6%, 7%, and 17%, respectively, for very low, low, intermediate, and high probability groups. EPs' estimates had a sensitivity of 63% using a > 20% probability of ACS to define a positive test. Lowering this threshold to > 7% to define a test as positive increased the sensitivity of physician estimates to 89% but lowered specificity from 65% to 24%., Conclusion: Our data suggest that for a selected ED cohort meeting eligibility criteria for a study of CCTA, EPs predict ACS better than by chance, with an increasing proportion of patients proving to have ACS with increasing probability estimates. Lowering the estimate threshold does not result in an overall sensitivity level that is sufficient to send patients home from the ED and is associated with a poor specificity.

Objectives: To determine the incremental benefit of assessing myocardial perfusion defects (MPD) for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) over coronary and functional assessment by rest cardiac computed tomography (CT) in patients with acute chest pain., Background: Assessment of myocardial perfusion is feasible with cardiac CT; however, the diagnostic value of this assessment in patients at risk for ACS has not been demonstrated., Methods: The study included patients who presented to the emergency department with acute chest pain, nonischemic initial electrocardiogram (ECG), and negative cardiac biomarkers but had clinical suspicion for ACS and underwent invasive coronary angiography (ICA). Results were blinded to caregivers and patients. CT data sets were independently assessed for the presence of coronary plaque and stenosis, regional left ventricular function, and myocardial perfusion deficits by 2 blinded observers. Coronary angiography was assessed for the presence of stenosis, TIMI myocardial perfusion grade, and corrected TIMI frame count. The endpoint was ACS during index hospitalization., Results: We analyzed data from 35 subjects (69% male, mean age 58 ± 9 years) of whom 22 (63%) had ACS. The sensitivity and specificity of MPD for ACS were 86% (95% CI: 64%-96%) and 62% (95% CI: 32%-85%), respectively. Combined, MPD and RWMA assessment resulted in specificity and sensitivity of 86% (95% CI: 64%-96%) and 85% (95% CI: 54%-97%), respectively. Adding MPD and RWMA to the assessment for significant stenosis (>50%) resulted in a higher sensitivity of 91% (69-98%) and specificity of 85% (54-97%) and a significantly increased overall diagnostic accuracy when compared with assessment for stenosis (AUC: 0.88 vs 0.79; respectively, P = 0.02). Diagnostic accuracy of CT was not associated with impaired CTFC >40 or myocardial TIMI perfusion grade < 3., Conclusions: Assessment of myocardial perfusion and regional wall motion abnormalities may enhance the ability of CT to detect ACS in patients with acute chest pain., (Copyright © 2011 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We aimed to identify the predictors of left atrial (LA) enlargement by multi-detector computed tomography (CT) and determine its association and predictive value for acute coronary syndrome (ACS)., Background: LA enlargement is associated with myocardial ischemia and coronary artery disease (CAD) and is a strong predictor for cardiovascular events. These studies were performed primarily with echocardiography. With the rise of cardiac CT, LA volume can be readily measured., Methods: In 377 emergency department patients with chest pain, we performed 64-slice CT for coronary artery assessment. We derived LA volumes (LAV(max), LAV(min)) and indices (LAVI(max), LAVI(min)) using a threshold-based volumetric method., Results: Subjects, with cardiac risk factors or CAD by CT, had larger LA (ΔLAV(max) 9.1 ml, p=0.004; ΔLAV(min) 8.1 ml, p=0.001; ΔLAVI(max) 3.3 ml/m(2), p=0.03; ΔLAVI(min) 3.4 ml/m(2), p=0.006) than controls. Predictors of LA enlargement were related to risk factors for diastolic dysfunction. ACS risk was greater in patients with top quartile LAV(max) (odds ratio [OR] 3.4, p=0.02) and LAV(min) (OR 4.7, p=0.01) than lowest quartile, but not when indexed. Similarly, the predictive values of LA volumes were incrementally better when added to CT finding of indeterminate stenosis (LAV(max): C statistic 0.62 to 0.70, p=0.046; LAV(min): C statistic 0.65 to 0.73, p=0.008), but not when indexed., Conclusions: Risk factors related to diastolic dysfunction are independent predictors of LA enlargement. LA enlargement by volumes are associated with a 3-5 fold increase risk for ACS and have incremental value for predicting ACS when added to the CT finding of indeterminate stenosis., (Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Few data exist on the frequency with which multidetector computed axial tomography (MDCT) scan of the coronary arteries changes the admission decisions of emergency physicians (EP) caring for patients with possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We measured if and how often these changes in decision-making would occur., Methods: The theoretical dispositions of 27 emergency department patients who presented with possible ACS were determined by four board-certified EPs after case presentations. Paired disposition decisions were made before and after knowledge of the MDCT scan results. Patients were selected from a sample of 103 from a prior study., Results: The study included 27 patients with a mean age of 55 +/- 9 years; 58% were male. The low-, intermediate-, and high-risk MDCT scan results were evenly distributed, as were the original providers' standard clinical risk assessments of ACS. Three patients had ACS and all were admitted both before and after review of MDCT scan results. Among 24 patients without ACS, a decision to admit was changed to discharge in 16 of 90 admission decisions (18%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 10-26%). Among 6 patients with projected discharges, 2 were inappropriately admitted after review of MDCT scan results. The odds ratio of discharge for patients without ACS increased by 3.95 (95% CI 1.96-7.95) after introduction of the MDCT scan results., Conclusion: An MDCT scan of the coronary arteries will likely change emergency physicians' decisions on the disposition of patients presenting with possible ACS, many to appropriate discharges but also a minority to inappropriate admissions., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The incremental value of regional left ventricular function (LVF) over coronary assessment to detect acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is uncertain., Methods and Results: We analyzed 356 patients (mean age, 53+/-12 years; 62% men) with acute chest pain and inconclusive initial emergency department evaluation. Patients underwent 64-slice contrast-enhanced cardiac computed tomography before hospital admission. Caregivers and patients remained blinded to the results. Regional LVF and presence of coronary atherosclerotic plaque and significant stenosis (>50%) were separately assessed by 2 independent readers. Incremental value of regional LVF to predict ACS was determined in the entire cohort and in subgroups of patients with nonobstructive coronary artery disease, inconclusive assessment for stenosis (defined as inability to exclude significant stenosis due to calcium or motion), and significant stenosis. During their index hospitalization, 31 patients were ultimately diagnosed with ACS (8 myocardial infarction, 22 unstable angina), of which 74% (23 patients) had regional LV dysfunction. Adding regional LVF resulted in a 10% increase in sensitivity to detect ACS by cardiac computed tomography (87%; 95% confidence interval, 70% to 96%) and significantly improved the overall accuracy (c-statistic: 0.88 versus 0.94 and 0.79 versus 0.88, for extent of plaque and presence of stenosis, respectively; both P<0.03). The diagnostic accuracy of regional LVF for detection of ACS has 89% sensitivity and 86% specificity in patients with significant stenosis (n=33) and 60% sensitivity and 86% specificity in patients with inconclusive coronary computed tomographic angiography (n=33)., Conclusions: Regional LVF assessment at rest improves diagnostic accuracy for ACS in patients with acute chest pain, especially in those with coronary artery disease and thus may be helpful to guide further management in patients at intermediate risk for ACS.

To identify the age- and gender-specific subpopulations of patients with acute chest pain in whom coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) will yield the greatest diagnostic benefit. Subjects with acute chest pain and an inconclusive initial evaluation (nondiagnostic electrocardiograhic findings, negative cardiac biomarkers) underwent contrast-enhanced 64-slice coronary CTA as a part of an observational cohort study. Independent investigators determined the presence of significant coronary stenosis (>50% luminal narrowing) and the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during the index hospitalization. We determined the diagnostic accuracy and effect on pretest probability of ACS using Bayes' theorem by age and gender. Of 368 patients (age 52.7 +/- 12 years, 61% men), 8% had ACS. The presence of significant coronary stenosis on CTA and the occurrence of ACS increased with age for both men and women (p <0.001). Cardiac CTA was highly sensitive and specific in women <65 years of age (sensitivity 100% and specificity >87%) and men <55 years of age (sensitivity 100% for men <45 years and 80% for men 45 to 54 years old; specificity >88.2%). Moreover, in these patients, coronary CTA led to restratification from low to high risk (for positive findings on CTA) or from low to very low risk (for negative findings on CTA). In contrast, a negative result on CTA did not result in restratification to a low-risk category in women >65 years and men >55 years old. In conclusion, the present analysis provides initial evidence that men <55 years and women <65 years might benefit more from cardiac CTA than older patients. Thus, age and gender might serve as simple criteria to appropriately select patients who would derive the greatest diagnostic benefit from coronary CTA in the setting of acute chest pain.

Background: Coronary computed tomography angiography might improve the management of patients presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain; however, noncoronary incidental findings are frequently detected. The prevalence and clinical significance of these findings have not been well described., Methods: Consecutive patients presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain and inconclusive initial evaluation between May 2005 and May 2007 underwent 64-slice coronary computed tomography angiography before hospital admission with noncoronary incidental findings immediately reported. An expert panel adjudicated which incidental findings changed in-hospital patient management, and projections for additional testing were based on standard medical practice., Results: Among 395 patients (37.0% were female, mean age 53 +/- 12 years), incidental findings were detected in 44.8% (n = 177): noncalcified pulmonary nodules (n = 94, 23.8%), simple liver cysts (n = 26, 6.6%), calcified pulmonary nodules (n = 16, 4.1%), and contrast-enhancing liver lesions (n = 9, 2.3%). In-hospital management was changed because of incidental finding reporting in 5 patients (1.3%), and a potential alternative diagnosis was offered in another 16 patients (4.1%). Subsequent diagnostic imaging tests were recommended in 81 patients (20.5%), including 74 chest computed tomography scans. After 6 months, biopsy was performed in 3 patients, revealing cancer in 2 (0.5%) who underwent successful tumor resection., Conclusion: Clinically important findings are detected in up to 5% of patients with a lead symptom of acute chest pain and low to intermediate likelihood of acute coronary syndrome, but only few directly change patient management; 21% are recommended for further imaging tests, resulting in invasive procedures and detection of cancer in few patients.

Objectives: This study was designed to determine the usefulness of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in patients with acute chest pain., Background: Triage of chest pain patients in the emergency department remains challenging., Methods: We used an observational cohort study in chest pain patients with normal initial troponin and nonischemic electrocardiogram. A 64-slice coronary CTA was performed before admission to detect coronary plaque and stenosis (>50% luminal narrowing). Results were not disclosed. End points were acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during index hospitalization and major adverse cardiac events during 6-month follow-up., Results: Among 368 patients (mean age 53 +/- 12 years, 61% men), 31 had ACS (8%). By coronary CTA, 50% of these patients were free of coronary artery disease (CAD), 31% had nonobstructive disease, and 19% had inconclusive or positive computed tomography for significant stenosis. Sensitivity and negative predictive value for ACS were 100% (n = 183 of 368; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 98% to 100%) and 100% (95% CI: 89% to 100%), respectively, with the absence of CAD and 77% (95% CI: 59% to 90%) and 98% (n = 300 of 368, 95% CI: 95% to 99%), respectively, with significant stenosis by coronary CTA. Specificity of presence of plaque and stenosis for ACS were 54% (95% CI: 49% to 60%) and 87% (95% CI: 83% to 90%), respectively. Only 1 ACS occurred in the absence of calcified plaque. Both the extent of coronary plaque and presence of stenosis predicted ACS independently and incrementally to Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction risk score (area under curve: 0.88, 0.82, vs. 0.63, respectively; all p < 0.0001)., Conclusions: Fifty percent of patients with acute chest pain and low to intermediate likelihood of ACS were free of CAD by computed tomography and had no ACS. Given the large number of such patients, early coronary CTA may significantly improve patient management in the emergency department.

Cocaine users represent an emergency department (ED) population that has been shown to be at increased risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS); however, there is controversy about whether this higher risk is mediated through advanced atherosclerosis. Thus, we aimed to determine whether history of cocaine use is associated with ACS and coronary artery disease. In this matched cohort study, we selected patients with a history of cocaine use and age- and gender-matched controls from a large cohort of consecutive patients who presented with acute chest pain to the ED. Coronary atherosclerotic plaque as detected by 64-slice coronary computed tomography was compared between the groups. Among 412 patients, 44 had a history of cocaine use (9%) and were matched to 132 controls (mean age 46 +/- 6 years, 86% men). History of cocaine use was associated with a sixfold higher risk for ACS (odds ratio 5.79, 95% confidence interval 1.24 to 27.02, p = 0.02), but was not associated with a higher prevalence of any plaque, calcified plaque, or noncalcified plaque (all p>0.58) or the presence of significant stenosis (p = 0.09). History of cocaine use was also not associated with the extent of any, calcified, or noncalcified plaque (all p>0.12). These associations persisted after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors. In conclusion, in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain, history of cocaine use is associated with an increase in risk for ACS; however, this was not attributable to a higher presence or extent of coronary atherosclerotic plaque.

Objectives: Cardiac multidetector computed tomography (CMCT) has potential to be used as a screening test for patients with acute chest pain, but several tools are already used to risk-stratify this population. Risk models exist that stratify need for intensive care (Goldman), short-term prognosis (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction, TIMI), and 1-year events (Sanchis). We applied these cardiovascular risk models to candidates for CMCT and assessed sensitivity for prediction of in-hospital acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We hypothesized that none of the models would achieve a sensitivity of 90% or greater, thereby justifying use of CMCT in patients with acute chest pain., Methods: We analyzed TIMI, Goldman, and Sanchis in 148 consecutive patients with chest pain, nondiagnostic electrocardiogram, and negative initial cardiac biomarkers who previously met inclusion and exclusion criteria for the Rule-Out Myocardial Infarction Using Coronary Artery Tomography Study. ACS was adjudicated, and risk scores were categorized based on established criteria. Risk score agreement was assessed with weighted kappa statistics., Results: Overall, 17 (11%) of 148 patients had ACS. For all risk models, sensitivity was poor (range, 35%-53%), and 95% confidence intervals did not cross above 77%. Agreement to risk-classify patients was poor to moderate (weighted kappa range, 0.18-0.43). Patients categorized as "low risk" had nonzero rates of ACS using all 3 scoring models (range, 8%-9%)., Conclusions: Available risk scores had poor sensitivity to detect ACS in patients with acute chest pain. Because of the small number of patients in this data set, these findings require confirmation in larger studies.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a dedicated coronary CT protocol provides adequate contrast enhancement and artifact-free depiction of coronary, pulmonary, and aortic circulation., Materials and Methods: Dedicated coronary 64-MDCT data sets of 50 patients (27 men; mean age, 54 +/- 12.4 years) consecutively admitted from the emergency department with suspected acute coronary syndrome were analyzed. Two independent observers graded overall coronary arterial image quality and qualitative and quantitative contrast opacification, motion, and streak artifacts within the pulmonary arteries and aorta., Results: Coronary image quality was excellent in 48 patients (96%) and moderate in two patients (4%). Eleven left main and 22 left upper lobar pulmonary arteries were not visualized. Qualitative evaluation showed pulmonary arterial tree opacification to be excellent except for the right and left lower lateral and posterior segmental branches (52-54% rate of poor opacification). Quantitative evaluation showed four central (8%), six lobar (8%), and 206 segmental (29%) branches had poor contrast opacification (< 200 HU). Nineteen right upper lobar arteries (38%) were slightly and one was severely affected by streak artifact. At the segmental pulmonary artery level, marked differences in contrast enhancement were detected between the upper (292 +/- 72 HU) and both the middle (249 +/- 85 HU) and the lower lobes (248 +/- 76 HU) (p < 0.01). Mean aortic opacification was 300 +/- 34 HU with excellent contrast homogeneity without severe motion or streak artifacts., Conclusion: In the evaluation of patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected acute coronary syndrome, a dedicated coronary CT protocol enables excellent assessment of the coronary arteries and proximal ascending aorta but does not depict the pulmonary vasculature well enough for exclusion of pulmonary embolism.

Background: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging permits early triage of patients presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain but has been limited by the inability to differentiate new from old myocardial infarction. Our objective was to evaluate a CMR protocol that includes T2-weighted imaging and assessment of left ventricular wall thickness in detecting patients with acute coronary syndrome in the emergency department., Methods and Results: In this prospective cohort observational study, we enrolled patients presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain, negative cardiac biomarkers, and no ECG changes indicative of acute ischemia. The CMR protocol consisted of T2-weighted imaging, first-pass perfusion, cine function, delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging, and assessment of left ventricular wall thickness. The clinical outcome (acute coronary syndrome) was defined by review of clinical charts by a consensus panel that used American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines. Among 62 patients, 13 developed acute coronary syndrome during the index hospitalization. The mean CMR time was 32+/-8 minutes. The new CMR protocol (with the addition of T2-weighted and left ventricular wall thickness) increased the specificity, positive predictive value, and overall accuracy from 84% to 96%, 55% to 85%, and 84% to 93%, respectively, compared with the conventional CMR protocol (cine, perfusion, and delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging). Moreover, in a logistic regression analysis that contained information on clinical risk assessment (c-statistic=0.695) and traditional cardiac risk factors (c-statistic=0.771), the new CMR protocol significantly improved the c-statistic to 0.958 (P<0.0001)., Conclusions: The present study indicates that a new CMR protocol improves the detection of patients with acute coronary syndrome in the emergency department and adds significant value over clinical assessment and traditional cardiac risk factors.