Invasive FFR — Current Applications and New Developments

Myocardial ischemia caused by coronary atherosclerosis is the main cause of cardiovascular mortality, which is the first cause of death in developed countries. Inducible myocardial ischemia is a negative prognostic factor for coronary artery disease patients, and it represents a major risk stratification marker for predicting mortality. The evolution of these patients depends largely on the extension of the ischemic myocardial mass and the severity of the inducible ischemia. Most patients do not show angiographically significant coronary stenosis. Therefore, such patients do not undergo coronary revascularization therapies, even though they present functional stenoses that trigger myocardial ischemia under stress conditions, which subsequently lead to a high risk for major adverse cardiovascular events. We performed a review that aims to pinpoint invasive techniques used for evaluating the functional impact of a coronary lesion that is considered non-significant upon angiographic examination, but which triggers episodes of myocardial ischemia under stress conditions, and to describe the functional markers that show the highest specificity for predicting ischemic risk, in order to recommend invasive coronary revascularization

Factors Associated with Development of in Coronary Stent Restenosis — the Results of a Multislice Computed Tomography 1-year Follow-up Study

Introduction: Percutaneous coronary intervention is the first therapeutic choice in the treatment of symptomatic coronary artery disease and Multi-Slice Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography (MSCT-CA) is a new non-invasive diagnostic tool in the follow-up of these patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the rate of in-stent restenosis (ISR), to identify the predictive factors for ISR at 1 year after PCI and to assess the progression of non-culprit lesions, using a MSCT-CA follow-up

Myocardial Fibrosis and the Risk of Recurrence in Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent cardiac arrhythmia increasing the risk of stroke and mortality from heart failure. Magnetic resonance imaging was used by several authors for assessment of atrial fibrosis and to predict the rate of recurrence following AF ablation. The aim of this manuscript was to summarize the new data in the literature regarding the role of atrial fibrosis in AF imaging and the role of cardiac fibrosis in predicting AF recurrence after radio-frequency ablation

Correlations Between the Contrast Density Gradient along the Coronary Stents and Functional Significance of In-stent Restenosis

Introduction: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and is associated with a significant socio-economic impact. In many cases, patients are treated with implanted coronary stents that carry a significant risk for reobstruction. The aim of our study was to evaluate the importance of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in evaluating the significance of in-stent restenosis lesions and for establishing the indication for reintervention in these cases

CT Determination of Fractional Flow Reserve in Coronary Lesions

Invasively determined fractional flow reserve (FFR) represents the gold-standard method for the functional evaluation of coronary lesions. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) provides characterization of the coronary anatomy, with important morphological information on the atherosclerotic plaques, but does not offer a hemodynamic evaluation of coronary artery lesions. CT evaluation of FFR (FFRCT) is a new noninvasive diagnostic method, which provides anatomical and functional assessment of the whole coronary tree, based on computational techniques, with no more radiation or hyperemic agent administration compared with routine CCTA. Recent studies demonstrated the safety and accuracy of FFRCT and its therapeutic use and cost benefits in real-world clinical use

Computed Tomography Biomarkers of Vulnerable Coronary Plaques

An unstable plaque has a high risk of thrombosis and at the same time for a fast progression of the stenosis degree. Also, “high-risk plaque” and “thrombosis-prone plaque” are used as synonym terms for characterization of a vulnerable plaque. The imaging biomarkers for vulnerable coronary plaques are considered to be spotty calcifications, active remodeling, low-density atheroma and the presence of a ring-like attenuation pattern, also known as the napkin-ring sign. Computed cardiac tomography can determine the plaque composition by assessing the plaque density, which is measured in Hounsfield units (HU). The aim of this manuscript was to provide an update about the most frequently used biomarkers of vulnerability in a vulnerable plaque with the help of computed cardiac tomography