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Background: Previous studies have identified a downstream referral age and gender bias for invasive coronary anatomy evaluation after single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT MPI). The present study evaluates if such bias still persists despite advancements in SPECT MPI and angiography. We hypothesized that women and patients ≥80 years old are less likely to undergo invasive coronary angiography after adjusting for clinical and scan variables., Methods: Patients (n = 3824) who referred to a nuclear cardiology laboratory at a tertiary medical center were retrospectively identified. Regression analysis tested age (<55; 55-69; 70-79; ≥80 years) and gender as predictors of diagnostic angiogram at 90 days post-SPECT after adjustment for known CAD, CAD risk equivalent, SSS, SDS, and LVEF., Results: Younger patients were more likely to undergo an angiogram as compared to octogenarians (77% more likely if <55 years old, 69% if 55-69 years old, and 52% if 70-79 years old). No effect was found for gender., Conclusions: Older patients were less likely to be referred for angiogram as compared to their younger counterparts. Further study is needed to determine which factors guide this decision-making process in older adults and the influence of these factors on the referral bias.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) rates are higher in Asian-Indians than in Caucasians. CAD occurs at an earlier age in this group, with about a quarter of all myocardial infarctions occurring under the age of 40. Previous reports have suggested smaller coronary artery size in Asian-Indians as a major cause for increased CAD in this population. This study sought to evaluate the size of normal "atheroma-free" segments of the epicardial coronary arteries in Asian-Indians and Caucasians aged ≤40 years undergoing coronary artery intervention in other diseased segments. A total of 69 consecutive patients (41 whites, 28 Asian-Indians) aged ≤40 years were evaluated. Angiograms were analyzed using standard quality control analysis software with digital acquisition. The arteries measured were the left main, left anterior descending, left circumflex, and the right coronary artery. Conventional risk factors, including hypertension, smoking, and diabetes, that could influence coronary size were also assessed. The coronary arteries of Asian-Indian patients showed significantly smaller values in the mean diameters of the left main (2.96 mm vs 4.04 mm, p = 0.0004), left anterior descending (2.48 mm vs 3.24 mm, p = 0.0005), left circumflex (2.52 mm vs 3.06 mm, p = 0.00002), and right coronary artery (2.71 mm vs 3.65 mm, p = 0.0008) as compared with Caucasians. Even after correction for body surface area, a statistically significant difference remained in coronary artery diameters. In conclusion, statistically significant difference in the mean diameter size even after correction for body surface area in Asian-Indians has implications for predisposition to atherosclerosis, and more challenging performance of procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, stent implantation, or atherectomy., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The detection of coronary artery microbruits, subaudible bruits too faint to be heard through standard auscultation, may provide an alternative means to diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to test the accuracy of a novel digital electronic stethoscope, the Cardiac Sonospectrographic Analyzer (CSA; SonoMedica model 3.0, SonoMedica, Inc., Vienna, Virginia, United States Food and Drug Administration 510[k] cleared) to diagnose CAD compared to gold-standard diagnosis using cardiac computed tomographic (CT) angiography. In this blinded, single-site study, adults previously referred for CT imaging were selected. Patients underwent CT and CSA evaluations. CSA exams entailed recording heart sounds at 9 positions on the chest for 40 seconds at each position. An algorithm then processed these data to generate a microbruit score. The CT scans were read blinded to patients' microbruit scores. Sensitivity and specificity of the CSA in detecting CAD compared to CT imaging were estimated using standard receiver-operating characteristic curves calculated from logistic regression models. A total of 161 patients, aged 57 ± 13 years (range 22 to 85), 53% with hypertension and 40% with obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2)), completed the protocol and had evaluable CT and CSA examinations. The overall sensitivity of the CSA to identify >50% stenosis in any major epicardial coronary artery as determined by CT imaging was 89.5% (p <0.0001). Gender-specific models based on smaller sample sizes had slightly poorer results and lower specificity among men with heavy chest hair. In conclusion, the CSA showed high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of significant early CAD in an outpatient setting and represents a new noninvasive device for detecting abnormal coronary blood flow as occurs in CAD., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Approximately 1% of adults who undergo cardiac catheterization have coronary anomalies. Patients may present with chest pain, arrhythmias, presyncope, and sometimes sudden cardiac death. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is an excellent tool for identifying coronary artery anomalies and defining their course and relationship to the great vessels and surrounding structures; its value is incremental to conventional angiography. We present a rare case of a coronary anomaly involving three separate ostia at the right sinus of Valsalva for the left and right coronary vessels., (© 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Coronary anomalies occur in <1% of the general population and can range from a benign incidental finding to the cause of sudden cardiac death. The coronary anomalies are classified here according to the traditional grouping into those of origin and course, intrinsic arterial anatomy, and termination. Classic coronary anomalies of origin and course include those in which a coronary artery originates from the contralateral aortic sinus or the pulmonary artery with anomalous course. Single coronary artery anomalies, in which single coronary artery branches to supply the entire coronary tree, are also included in this category. Anomalies of intrinsic arterial anatomy are a broad class that includes myocardial bridges, coronary ectasia and aneurysms, subendocardial coursing arteries, and coronary artery duplication. Coronary anomalies of termination are those in which a coronary artery terminates in a fistulous connection to a great vessel or cardiac chamber. In the case of those anomalies associated with a risk of sudden cardiac death, the relevant imaging features on CT angiography (CTA) associated with poorer prognosis are reviewed. Recent guidelines and appropriateness criteria favor the use of coronary CTA for the evaluation of coronary anomalies. Although invasive angiography has historically been used to diagnose coronary anomalies, multidetector CT imaging techniques have now become an accurate noninvasive alternative. Cardiac CTA provides excellent spatial and temporal resolution, allowing accurate anatomical assessment of these anomalies., (Copyright © 2012 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) for the diagnosis and evaluation of coronary artery occlusive disease has rapidly gained acceptance among clinicians. Its growing use in selected populations has provided a wealth of data, leading to a recent flurry of articles describing both the benefits and limitations of this imaging modality. In this article, we describe the case of an 80 year old woman who presented with anginal symptoms, who first underwent CTCA which suggested severe right coronary artery stenosis. A subsequent invasive coronary angiogram was crucial in revealing a total occlusion and the presence of collateral vessels, findings that would ultimately guide therapy. This case demonstrates a significant limitation in the use of CTCA and the associated images are valuable in illustrating this point.

Coronary artery aneurysm is an uncommon finding. It is defined as a dilated coronary artery which exceeds the diameter of the normal adjacent vessel by 1.5-2 times. Although theorized mechanisms include atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) and iatrogenic causes such as the use of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), the natural history and prognosis of this disease remain obscure. We describe a case of a 75 year old man who was found to have a long segmental myocardial bridge immediately followed by a 5 mm inner diameter aneurysm in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) detected on 64-detector cardiac computed tomography (64-CT). The post myocardial bridge aneurysmal dilatation in this case is unique, and has not been previously described. With the advent of 64-CT, more incidental cardiac anomalies and irregularities are likely to be found. In the end, the question as to the clinical significance of these findings and their treatment remains controversial. We report this novel case and review the literature for recommendations on treatment and management of patients with coronary aneurysms.

Asian-Indians have high rates of coronary artery disease (CAD), which also occurs at an earlier age, with 50% of all heart attacks occurring in patients <55 years old and 25% in those <40 years old. Previous studies have cited structural factors in Asian-Indians, specifically smaller coronary arteries, as the cause of increased CAD in this population. We found that Asian-Indian patients have smaller coronary arteries, with a statistically significant difference in the mean diameter even after correction for body surface area.

Background: Multi-detector computed tomography (CT) has emerged as a modality for the non-invasive assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD). Prior studies have selected patients for evaluation and have excluded many of the “real-world” patients commonly encountered in daily practice. We compared 64-detector-CT (64-CT) to conventional coronary angiography (CA) to investigate the accuracy of 64-CT in determining significant coronary stenoses in a “real-world” clinical population. Methods: A total of 1,818 consecutive patients referred for 64-CT were evaluated. CT angiography was performed using the GE LightSpeed VCT (GE® Healthcare). Forty-one patients in whom 64-CT results prompted CA investigation were further evaluated, and results of the two diagnostic modalities were compared. Results: A total of 164 coronary arteries and 410 coronary segments were evaluated in 41 patients (30 men, 11 women, age 39-85 years) who were identified by 64-CT to have significant coronary stenoses and who thereafter underwent CA. The overall per-vessel sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy at the 50% stenosis level were 86%, 84%, 65%, 95%, and 85%, respectively, and 77%, 93%, 61%, 97%, and 91%, respectively, in the per-segment analysis at the 50% stenosis level. Conclusion: 64-CT is an accurate imaging tool that allows a non-invasive assessment of significant CAD with a high diagnostic accuracy in a “realworld” population of patients. The sensitivity and specificity that we noted are not as high as those in prior reports, but we evaluated a population of patients that is typically encountered in clinical practice and therefore see more “real-world” results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]