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The difference between expert level (L3) reader and artificial intelligence (AI) performance for quantifying coronary plaque and plaque components is unknown.This study evaluates the interobserver variability among expert readers for quantifying the volume of coronary plaque and plaque components on coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) using an artificial intelligence enabled quantitative CCTA analysis software as a reference (AI-QCT).This study uses CCTA imaging obtained from 232 patients enrolled in the CLARIFY (CT EvaLuation by ARtificial Intelligence For Atherosclerosis, Stenosis and Vascular MorphologY) study. Readers quantified overall plaque volume and the % breakdown of noncalcified plaque (NCP) and calcified plaque (CP) on a per vessel basis. Readers categorized high risk plaque (HRP) based on the presence of low-attenuation-noncalcified plaque (LA-NCP) and positive remodeling (PR; ≥1.10). All CCTAs were analyzed by an FDA-cleared software service that performs AI-driven plaque characterization and quantification (AI-QCT) for comparison to L3 readers. Reader generated analyses were compared among readers and to AI-QCT generated analyses.When evaluating plaque volume on a per vessel basis, expert readers achieved moderate to high interobserver consistency with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.78 for a single reader score and 0.91 for mean scores. There was a moderate trend between readers 1, 2, and 3 and AI with spearman coefficients of 0.70, 0.68 and 0.74, respectively. There was high discordance between readers and AI plaque component analyses. When quantifying %NCP v. %CP, readers 1, 2, and 3 achieved a weighted kappa coefficient of 0.23, 0.34 and 0.24, respectively, compared to AI with a spearman coefficient of 0.38, 0.51, and 0.60, respectively. The intra-class correlation coefficient among readers for plaque composition assessment was 0.68. With respect to HRP, readers 1, 2, and 3 achieved a weighted kappa coefficient of 0.22, 0.26, and 0.17, respectively, and a spearman coefficient of 0.36, 0.35, and 0.44, respectively.Expert readers performed moderately well quantifying total plaque volumes with high consistency. However, there was both significant interobserver variability and high discordance with AI-QCT when quantifying plaque composition.

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) refers to a constellation of symptoms resulting from neurovascular compression at the thoracic outlet, causing some combination of pain in the neck and upper extremity, weakness, sensory loss, paresthesia, swelling, and discoloration. Classification of TOS would depend on the anatomical structure that is compressed: venous TOS (VTOS)—compression of Subclavian vein; arterial TOS (ATOS)—compression of subclavian artery; and neurogenic TOS (NTOS)—compression of brachial plexus. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is characterized by orthostatic tachycardia that develops in the absence of orthostatic hypotension, with a symptom duration of >6 months. POTS is now known to be commonly associated with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), thereby raising speculation about the extent of prevalence of TOS symptoms in EDS patients. The aim of the study was to quantify the influx of patients with POTS, reporting symptoms of arm fatigue with or without numbness and tingling. The symptoms were quantified initially by conducting postural maneuvers that would reproduce the symptoms, to rule-in the possibility of TOS and further confirmed by using ultrasonography in upper limbs as the imaging modality of choice to evaluate arterial and/or venous compression. This study also looks at the presence of a concurrent diagnosis of EDS among the symptomatic patients who test positive for TOS.

Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis evaluation by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is promising for coronary artery disease (CAD) risk stratification, but time consuming and requires high expertise. Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to CCTA for comprehensive CAD assessment may overcome these limitations. We hypothesized AI aided analysis allows for rapid, accurate evaluation of vessel morphology and stenosis. METHODS: This was a multi-site study of 232 patients undergoing CCTA. Studies were analyzed by FDA-cleared software service that performs AI-driven coronary artery segmentation and labeling, lumen and vessel wall determination, plaque quantification and characterization with comparison to ground truth of consensus by three L3 readers. CCTAs were analyzed for: % maximal diameter stenosis, plaque volume and composition, presence of high-risk plaque and Coronary Artery Disease Reporting & Data System (CAD-RADS) category. RESULTS: AI performance was excellent for accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value as follows: >70% stenosis: 99.7%, 90.9%, 99.8%, 93.3%, 99.9%, respectively; >50% stenosis: 94.8%, 80.0%, 97.0, 80.0%, 97.0%, respectively. Bland-Altman plots depict agreement between expert reader and AI determined maximal diameter stenosis for per-vessel (mean difference -0.8%; 95% CI 13.8% to -15.3%) and per-patient (mean difference -2.3%; 95% CI 15.8% to -20.4%). L3 and AI agreed within one CAD-RADS category in 228/232 (98.3%) exams per-patient and 923/924 (99.9%) vessels on a per-vessel basis. There was a wide range of atherosclerosis in the coronary artery territories assessed by AI when stratified by CAD-RADS distribution. CONCLUSIONS: AI-aided approach to CCTA interpretation determines coronary stenosis and CAD-RADS category in close agreement with consensus of L3 expert readers. There was a wide range of atherosclerosis identified through AI. proof published

In the United States, non-obstructive coronary disease has been on the rise, and each year, nearly one million adults suffer myocardial infarction, 70% of which are non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). In addition, approximately 15% of patients suffering NSTEMI will have subsequent readmission for a recurrent acute coronary syndrome (ACS). While invasive angiography remains the standard of care in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to these patients, these methods have limitations that include procedural complications, uncertain specificity in diagnosis of the culprit lesion in patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD), and challenges in following coronary disease over time. The role of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for evaluating patients with both stable and acute chest pain has seen a paramount upshift in the last decade. This paper reviews the established role of CCTA for the rapid exclusion of obstructive plaque in troponin negative acute chest pain, while exploring opportunities to address challenges in the current approach to evaluating NSTEMI.

Introduction: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a form of dysautonomia which primarily affects young adult women. The hallmark of this condition is an exaggerated heart rate in response to postural changes. The symptoms of POTS can cause cerebral hypoperfusion and include generalized weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness, darkening of the visual fields and in some, palpitations and loss of consciousness. Increased sympathetic activation results in increase of the conduction through the AV node. Increased conduction through the AV node results in a shorter PR interval and a faster heart rate. The aim of this study is to determine if patients with severe POTS have resting Adrenal Hyperactivity by utilizing PR-Intervals. Methods: A team of researchers randomly selected pts with POTS from our clinic. This group consisted of 455 pts and these pts’ tilt table results as well as their resting ECG’s were reviewed from their electronic medical records. Pts were then categorized based on the degree of change in heart rate during the tilt table test. The categories were as follows: Orthostatic intolerance (50 bpm). A few patients in the data set did not have tilt table results and were subsequently removed. We noted the resting PR intervals of these pts from their multiple ECG’s. For each pt the mean of these values was gathered and biostatistical analysis was performed on this first collection of data. After the first data was analyzed, a second team of researchers, blinded to the first team, collected the same data set on patients with POTS from our clinic. This was done in order to minimize observer bias and reproduce results. This team of researchers further filtered out 8 patients whose data did not meet the criteria required to categorize the patients, thus the second data set consisted of 447 pts. Tilt table results and resting PR intervals were taken from their electronic medical records and the pts were then categorized in the same manner as the first data set. Results: In the second group of 447 pts (n=447), 28.6% (n= 128) are categorized as having orthostatic intolerance, 51.6% (n=231) are categorized as mild POTS, and 19.6% (n=88) are categorized as severe POTS. Using a significance level of 0.05, the P-value was lower than 0.05 (0.00787), thus ANOVA fails to accept the null hypothesis that the means of the PR-intervals across the various categories are equal. That is to say, statistically the resting PR intervals are not equal across the different POTS categories in both groups with a significance level of 0.05. Average P-R (Severe POTS:137.0 ms & Orthostatic Intolerance: 145.59 ms) Conclusion: A statistically significant increase in resting Adrenal Hyperactivity in pts with severe POTS (>50 bpm) as opposed to pts with Orthostatic Intolerance (

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the presence of tachycardia in the absence of orthostatic hypotension; symptoms of orthostatic intolerance (presyncope and syncope) are present secondary to autonomic dysfunction (1). It is thought that one of the implications for POTS involves plasma volume disturbances leading to blood pooling. The Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS) is one system that assists in plasma volume regulation (2). In this study we hypothesized that these disturbances are brought about by an inactivation of RAAS. This was done by retrospectively reviewing the medical records of POTS patients. In these patients, diagnosis of POTS was established by an increase in Heart Rate of over 30 bpm within 10 minutes of tilt. Stroke Volume was used as a measure of volume disturbances; those POTS patients whose stroke volumes had not increased by the End of the Tilt as compared to their 6 minute supine baseline were considered to have an inactivation of RAAS. Our total sample of POTS patients numbered at 447, out of which 417 patients had lower stroke volumes at the end of their tilt table tests when compared to their baseline; this makes for 92.87% of our POTS Patient Sample. The average Stroke Volume at the 6 minute mark was calculated to be 74.67; the average stroke volume at the end of the tilt table test (30 minutes) was calculated to be 46.33 mL; . The results seen in this study show that more than 90% of our POTS Patient Sample there is no recovery of the stroke volume by the end of the tilt table test, this volume disturbance can be the result of decreased RAAS activation. This observation is supported by the difference found between average stroke volumes seen at 6 minute baseline and at 30 minutes of tilt. In normal individuals, we should see an increase in stroke volume at the end of the tilt as RAAS is activated. However, as patients with POTS are known to have lower plasma volumes (2), compounded with the inactivation of RAAS; the resulting hypovolemia will amplify the symptoms of POTS, increasing their severity. These patients should respond well to fludrocortisone, as there will be a correction of hemodynamic impairments (RAAS inactivation) leading to symptomatic relief (3). Further studies and analyses are needed to look into the levels of Renin and Aldosterone at Baseline & at Tilt, as well as the effects of fludrocortisone on such patients with RAAS inactivation. References:(1) Satish R. R., Circulation. 2013. June 11; 127(23): 2336-2342.(2) Satish R. R. et al., Circulation. 2005. March 2; 111(13): 1574-1582. (3) Freitas. J et al., Clin Auton Res. 2000. October; 10(5): 293-303. Unless otherwise noted, all abstracts presented at ENDO are embargoed until the date and time of presentation. For oral presentations, the abstracts are embargoed until the session begins. Abstracts presented at a news conference are embargoed until the date and time of the news conference. The Endocrine Society reserves the right to lift the embargo on specific abstracts that are selected for promotion prior to or during ENDO.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) events are declining in older adults. However, these advances have not extended to younger adults for whom acute coronary syndrome rates are rising. 39-year-old athlete with no medical or family cardiac history presented with sudden cardiac death requiring automated