Dr. Melinda Boussoussou
@semmelweis.hu
Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group
Semmelweis University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
cardiovascular imaging, fractional flow reserve, acute cardiovascular disease, plaque progression
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
D Juhász, M Vecsey-Nagy, Á L Jermendy, B Szilveszter, J Simon, B Vattay, M Boussoussou, D Dávid, P Maurovich-Horvát, B Merkely,et al.
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Abstract Aims Low-gradient (LG) aortic stenosis (AS) poses a diagnostic challenge. Aortic valve calcium score (AVCS) assessment has emerged as a complementary diagnostic method when echocardiography provides discordant results. However, the diagnostic and prognostic values of AVCS in LGAS have not been thoroughly studied. Our aims in this study were to investigate the prognostic importance of AVCS in LGAS and to assess whether symptomatic patients with LGAS and low AVCS may benefit from aortic valve intervention (AVI). Methods and results A total of 327 symptomatic patients (78.5 ± 7.3 years, 51% women) with severe AS defined by the aortic valve area who underwent computed tomography for transcatheter aortic valve intervention (TAVI) planning were enrolled. AVCS was measured. AVCS < 2000AU in men and < 1200 AU in women was considered a low AVCS. A total of 243 patients had high gradient (HG) and 84 had LGAS. A low AVCS was present in 25 (10%) patients with HG and 34 (40%) with LGAS. Over a median follow-up period of 4.9 years, 194 deaths occurred. In multivariate analysis, AVCS was a significant independent predictor of all-cause mortality among patients with HGAS [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 2.317; CI: 1.104–4.861; P = 0.026] but not among those with LGAS (aHR: 0.848; CI: 0.434–1.658; P = 0.630). After propensity score matching between patients who underwent AVI and those who were medically treated, AVI (94% TAVI) was a significant and independent predictor of survival among LGAS patients with a low AVCS even after adjustment for clinical variables (aHR: 0.102, CI: 0.028–0.369; P < 0.001). Conclusion The prevalence of a low AVCS is much higher in patients with LGAS than in those with HGAS. In patients with symptomatic severe LGAS, a low AVCS does not entail a better prognosis. AVI is equally beneficial in LGAS patients with a high or low AVCS, similarly to those with HGAS.
Barbara Sipos, Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Borbála Vattay, Melinda Boussoussou, Zsófia Jokkel, Sarolta Borzsák, Ádám Jermendy, Alexisz Panajotu, Xenia Gonda, Zoltán Rihmer,et al.
Elsevier BV
Milan Vecsey-Nagy, Akos Varga-Szemes, U. Joseph Schoepf, Giuseppe Tremamunno, Nicola Fink, Emese Zsarnoczay, Bálint Szilveszter, Dirk Graafen, Moritz C Halfmann, Borbála Vattay,et al.
Elsevier BV
Borbála Vattay, Melinda Boussoussou, Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Márton Kolossváry, Dénes Juhász, Nóra Kerkovits, Hanna Balogh, Norbert Nagy, Miklós Vértes, Máté Kiss,et al.
Elsevier BV
Massimo Mancone, Aldo J. Vázquez Mézquita, Lucia Ilaria Birtolo, Pal Maurovich-Horvat, Klaus F. Kofoed, Theodora Benedek, Patrick Donnelly, Jose Rodriguez-Palomares, Andrejs Erglis, Cyril Štěchovský,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Theodora Benedek, Viktoria Wieske, Bálint Szilveszter, Klaus F. Kofoed, Patrick Donnelly, José Rodriguez-Palomares, Andrejs Erglis, Josef Veselka, Gintarė Šakalytė, Nada Čemerlić Ađić,et al.
American Diabetes Association
In the abstract of the article cited above, the clinical trial number for DISCHARGE (NCT02400229) was inadvertently omitted. The abstract has been revised to include the ClinicalTrials.gov identification. The editors apologize for the error. The online version of the article (https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-0710) has been updated to correct the error.
, Maria Bosserdt, Lina M. Serna-Higuita, Gudrun Feuchtner, Bela Merkely, Klaus F. Kofoed, Theodora Benedek, Patrick Donnelly, José Rodriguez-Palomares, Andrejs Erglis,et al.
American Medical Association (AMA)
ImportanceThe effectiveness and safety of computed tomography (CT) and invasive coronary angiography (ICA) in different age groups is unknown.ObjectiveTo determine the association of age with outcomes of CT and ICA in patients with stable chest pain.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThe assessor-blinded Diagnostic Imaging Strategies for Patients With Stable Chest Pain and Intermediate Risk of Coronary Artery Disease (DISCHARGE) randomized clinical trial was conducted between October 2015 and April 2019 in 26 European centers. Patients referred for ICA with stable chest pain and an intermediate probability of obstructive coronary artery disease were analyzed in an intention-to-treat analysis. Data were analyzed from July 2022 to January 2023.InterventionsPatients were randomly assigned to a CT-first strategy or a direct-to-ICA strategy.Main Outcomes and MeasuresMACE (ie, cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke) and major procedure-related complications. The primary prespecified outcome of this secondary analysis of age was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at a median follow-up of 3.5 years.ResultsAmong 3561 patients (mean [SD] age, 60.1 [10.1] years; 2002 female [56.2%]), 2360 (66.3%) were younger than 65 years, 982 (27.6%) were between ages 65 to 75 years, and 219 (6.1%) were older than 75 years. The primary outcome was MACE at a median (IQR) follow-up of 3.5 (2.9-4.2) years for 3523 patients (99%). Modeling age as a continuous variable, age, and randomization group were not associated with MACE (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.98-1.07; P for interaction = .31). Age and randomization group were associated with major procedure-related complications (odds ratio, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.05-1.27; P for interaction = .005), which were lower in younger patients.Conclusions and RelevanceAge did not modify the effect of randomization group on the primary outcome of MACE but did modify the effect on major procedure-related complications. Results suggest that CT was associated with a lower risk of major procedure-related complications in younger patients.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02400229
Federico Biavati, Luca Saba, Melinda Boussoussou, Klaus F. Kofoed, Theodora Benedek, Patrick Donnelly, José Rodríguez-Palomares, Andrejs Erglis, Cyril Štěchovský, Gintarė Šakalytė,et al.
Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)
Background Coronary artery calcium (CAC) has prognostic value for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in asymptomatic individuals, whereas its role in symptomatic patients is less clear. Purpose To assess the prognostic value of CAC scoring for MACE in participants with stable chest pain initially referred for invasive coronary angiography (ICA). Materials and Methods This prespecified subgroup analysis from the Diagnostic Imaging Strategies for Patients With Stable Chest Pain and Intermediate Risk of Coronary Artery Disease (DISCHARGE) trial, conducted between October 2015 and April 2019 across 26 centers in 16 countries, focused on adult patients with stable chest pain referred for ICA. Participants were randomly assigned to undergo either ICA or coronary CT. CAC scores from noncontrast CT scans were categorized into low, intermediate, and high groups based on scores of 0, 1-399, and 400 or higher, respectively. The end point of the study was the occurrence of MACE (myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death) over a median 3.5-year follow-up, analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regression tests. Results The study involved 1749 participants (mean age, 60 years ± 10 [SD]; 992 female). The prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) at CT angiography rose from 4.1% (95% CI: 2.8, 5.8) in the CAC score 0 group to 76.1% (95% CI: 70.3, 81.2) in the CAC score 400 or higher group. Revascularization rates increased from 1.7% to 46.2% across the same groups (P < .001). The CAC score 0 group had a lower MACE risk (0.5%; HR, 0.08 [95% CI: 0.02, 0.30]; P < .001), as did the 1-399 CAC score group (1.9%; HR, 0.27 [95% CI: 0.13, 0.59]; P = .001), compared with the 400 or higher CAC score group (6.8%). No significant difference in MACE between sexes was observed (P = .68). Conclusion In participants with stable chest pain initially referred for ICA, a CAC score of 0 showed very low risk of MACE, and higher CAC scores showed increasing risk of obstructive CAD, revascularization, and MACE at follow-up. Clinical trial registration no. NCT02400229 © RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Hanneman and Gulsin in this issue.
Nándor Szegedi, Zoltán Salló, Vivien Klaudia Nagy, István Osztheimer, István Hizoh, Bálint Lakatos, Melinda Boussoussou, Gábor Orbán, Márton Boga, Arnold Béla Ferencz,et al.
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
BACKGROUND: High-power short-duration ablation has shown impressive efficacy and safety for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI); however, initial efficacy results with very high power short-duration ablation were discouraging. This study compared the long-term durability of PVI performed with a 90- versus 50-W power setting. METHODS: Patients were randomized 1:1 to undergo PVI with the QDOT catheter using a power setting of 90 or 50 W. Three months after the index procedure, patients underwent a repeat electrophysiology study to identify pulmonary vein reconnections. Patients were followed for 12 months to detect AF recurrences. RESULTS: We included 46 patients (mean age, 64 years; women, 48%). Procedure (76 versus 84 minutes; P =0.02), left atrial dwell (63 versus 71 minutes; P =0.01), and radiofrequency (303 versus 1040 seconds; P <0.0001) times were shorter with 90- versus 50-W procedures, while the number of radiofrequency applications was higher with 90 versus 50 W (77 versus 67; P =0.01). There was no difference in first-pass isolation (83% versus 82%; P =1.0) or acute reconnection (4% versus 14%; P =0.3) rates between 90 and 50 W. Forty patients underwent a repeat electrophysiology study. Durable PVI on a per PV basis was present in 72/78 (92%) versus 68/77 (88%) PVs in the 90- and 50-W energy setting groups, respectively; effect size: 72/78−68/77=0.040, lower 95% CI=−0.051 (noninferiority limit=−0.1, ie, noninferiority is met). No complications occurred. There was no difference in 12-month atrial fibrillation-free survival between the 90- and 50-W groups ( P =0.2). CONCLUSIONS: Similarly high rates of durable PVI and arrhythmia-free survival were achieved with 90 and 50 W. Procedure, left atrial dwell, and radiofrequency times were shorter with 90 W compared with 50 W. The sample size is too small to conclude the safety and long-term efficacy of the high and very high-power short-duration PVI; further studies are needed to address this topic. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT05459831.
Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Tilman Emrich, Giuseppe Tremamunno, Dmitrij Kravchenko, Muhammad Taha Hagar, Gerald S. Laux, U. Joseph Schoepf, Jim O'Doherty, Melinda Boussoussou, Bálint Szilveszter,et al.
Elsevier BV
Judit Simon, Áron Hrenkó, Nóra Melinda Kerkovits, Kristóf Nagy, Miklós Vértes, Hanna Balogh, Norbert Nagy, Tamás Munkácsi, Tilman Emrich, Akos Varga-Szemes,et al.
Elsevier BV
Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Márton Kolossváry, Akos Varga-Szemes, Melinda Boussoussou, Borbála Vattay, Martin Nagy, Dénes Juhász, Béla Merkely, Tamás Radovits, and Bálint Szilveszter
Elsevier BV
Borbála Vattay, Bálint Szilveszter, Melinda Boussoussou, Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Andrew Lin, Gábor Konkoly, Anikó Kubovje, Florian Schwarz, Béla Merkely, Pál Maurovich-Horvat,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract Objectives Virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) from photon-counting CT (PCCT) may change quantitative coronary plaque volumes. We aimed to assess how plaque component volumes change with respect to VMIs. Methods Coronary CT angiography (CTA) images were acquired using a dual-source PCCT and VMIs were reconstructed between 40 and 180 keV in 10-keV increments. Polychromatic images at 120 kVp (T3D) were used as reference. Quantitative plaque analysis was performed on T3D images and segmentation masks were copied to VMI reconstructions. Calcified plaque (CP; > 350 Hounsfield units, HU), non-calcified plaque (NCP; 30 to 350 HU), and low-attenuation NCP (LAP; − 100 to 30 HU) volumes were calculated using fixed thresholds. Results We analyzed 51 plaques from 51 patients (67% male, mean age 65 ± 12 years). Average attenuation and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) decreased significantly with increasing keV levels, with similar values observed between T3D and 70 keV images (299 ± 209 vs. 303 ± 225 HU, p = 0.15 for mean HU; 15.5 ± 3.7 vs. 15.8 ± 3.5, p = 0.32 for CNR). Mean NCP volume was comparable between T3D and 100–180-keV reconstructions. There was a monotonic decrease in mean CP volume, with a significant difference between all VMIs and T3D (p < 0.05). LAP volume increased with increasing keV levels and all VMIs showed a significant difference compared to T3D, except for 50 keV (28.0 ± 30.8 mm3 and 28.6 ± 30.1 mm3, respectively, p = 0.63). Conclusions Estimated coronary plaque volumes significantly differ between VMIs. Normalization protocols are needed to have comparable results between future studies, especially for LAP volume which is currently defined using a fixed HU threshold. Clinical relevance statement Different virtual monoenergetic images from photon-counting CT alter attenuation values and therefore corresponding plaque component volumes. New clinical standards and protocols are required to determine the optimal thresholds to derive plaque volumes from photon-counting CT. Key Points • Utilizing different VMI energy levels from photon-counting CT for the analysis of coronary artery plaques leads to substantial changes in attenuation values and corresponding plaque component volumes. • Low-energy images (40–70 keV) improved contrast-to-noise ratio, however also increased image noise. • Normalization protocols are needed to have comparable results between future studies, especially for low-attenuation plaque volume which is currently defined using a fixed HU threshold.
Ferenc T. Nagy, Dorottya Olajos, Borbála Vattay, Sarolta Borzsák, Melinda Boussoussou, Mónika Deák, Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Barbara Sipos, Ádám L. Jermendy, Gábor G. Tóth,et al.
MDPI AG
Background: Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is associated with high rates of long-term cardiovascular mortality. Exercise stress testing to detect obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) can be difficult in this subset of patients due to inability to undergo exercise testing, presence of balanced ischemia and severe coronary artery calcification (CAC). Aim: To test the feasibility of regadenoson stress dynamic perfusion computed tomography (DPCT) in CLTI patients. Methods: Between 2018 and 2023, coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) and, in the case of a calcium score higher than 400, DPCT, were performed in 25 CLTI patients with a history of endovascular revascularization. Results: Of the 25 patients, 19 had a calcium score higher than 400, requiring DPCT image acquisition. Obstructive CAD could be ruled out in 10 of the 25 patients. Of the 15 CTA/DPCT+ patients, 13 proceeded to coronary angiography (CAG). Revascularization was necessary in all 13 patients. In these 13 patients, vessel-based sensitivity and specificity of coronary CTA/DPCT as compared to invasive evaluation was 75%, respectively. At follow-up (27 ± 21 months) there was no statistically significant difference in all-cause mortality between CTA/DPCT- positive and -negative patients (p = 0.065). Conclusions: Despite a high prevalence of severe CAC, coronary CTA complemented by DPCT may be a feasible method to detect obstructive and functionally significant CAD in CLTI patients.
Theodora Benedek, Viktoria Wieske, Bálint Szilveszter, Klaus F. Kofoed, Patrick Donnelly, José Rodriguez-Palomares, Andrejs Erglis, Josef Veselka, Gintarė Šakalytė, Nada Čemerlić Ađić,et al.
American Diabetes Association
OBJECTIVE To compare cardiac computed tomography (CT) with invasive coronary angiography (ICA) as the initial strategy in patients with diabetes and stable chest pain. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This prespecified analysis of the multicenter DISCHARGE trial in 16 European countries was performed in patients with stable chest pain and intermediate pretest probability of coronary artery disease. The primary end point was a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke), and the secondary end point was expanded MACE (including transient ischemic attacks and major procedure-related complications). RESULTS Follow-up at a median of 3.5 years was available in 3,541 patients of whom 557 (CT group n = 263 vs. ICA group n = 294) had diabetes and 2,984 (CT group n = 1,536 vs. ICA group n = 1,448) did not. No statistically significant diabetes interaction was found for MACE (P = 0.45), expanded MACE (P = 0.35), or major procedure-related complications (P = 0.49). In both patients with and without diabetes, the rate of MACE did not differ between CT and ICA groups. In patients with diabetes, the expanded MACE end point occurred less frequently in the CT group than in the ICA group (3.8% [10 of 263] vs. 8.2% [24 of 294], hazard ratio [HR] 0.45 [95% CI 0.22–0.95]), as did the major procedure-related complication rate (0.4% [1 of 263] vs. 2.7% [8 of 294], HR 0.30 [95% CI 0.13 – 0.63]). CONCLUSIONS In patients with diabetes referred for ICA for the investigation of stable chest pain, a CT-first strategy compared with an ICA-first strategy showed no difference in MACE and may potentially be associated with a lower rate of expanded MACE and major procedure-related complications.
M. Vecsey-Nagy, A. Varga-Szemes, T. Emrich, E. Zsarnoczay, N. Nagy, N. Fink, B. Schmidt, T. Nowak, M. Kiss, B. Vattay,et al.
Elsevier BV
Melinda Boussoussou, István F. Édes, Fanni Nowotta, Borbála Vattay, Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Zsófia Drobni, Judit Simon, Márton Kolossváry, Balázs Németh, Ádám L. Jermendy,et al.
Elsevier BV
Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Zsófia Jokkel, Ádám Levente Jermendy, Martin Nagy, Melinda Boussoussou, Borbála Vattay, Márton Kolossváry, Csaba Csobay-Novák, Sigal Amin-Spector, Béla Merkely,et al.
MDPI AG
Contemporary reconstruction algorithms yield the potential of reducing radiation exposure by denoising coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) datasets. We aimed to assess the reliability of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) measurements with an advanced adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR-CV) and model-based adaptive filter (MBAF2) designed for a dedicated cardiac CT scanner by comparing them to the gold-standard filtered back projection (FBP) calculations. We analyzed non-contrast coronary CT images of 404 consecutive patients undergoing clinically indicated CCTA. CACS and total calcium volume were quantified and compared on three reconstructions (FBP, ASIR-CV, and MBAF2+ASIR-CV). Patients were classified into risk categories based on CACS and the rate of reclassification was assessed. Patients were categorized into the following groups based on FBP reconstructions: 172 zero CACS, 38 minimal (1–10), 87 mild (11–100), 57 moderate (101–400), and 50 severe (400<). Overall, 19/404 (4.7%) patients were reclassified into a lower-risk group with MBAF2+ASIR-CV, while 8 additional patients (27/404, 6.7%) shifted downward when applying stand-alone ASIR-CV. The total calcium volume with FBP was 7.0 (0.0–133.25) mm3, 4.0 (0.0–103.5) mm3 using ASIR-CV, and 5.0 (0.0–118.5) mm3 with MBAF2+ASIR-CV (all comparisons p < 0.001). The concomitant use of ASIR-CV and MBAF2 may allow the reduction of noise levels while maintaining similar CACS values as FBP measurements.
Alexisz Panajotu, Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Ádám Levente Jermendy, Melinda Boussoussou, Borbála Vattay, Márton Kolossváry, Örs Zs. Dombrády, Csaba Csobay-Novák, Béla Merkely, and Bálint Szilveszter
MDPI AG
There has been an ongoing debate on the means to minimize the time patients spend at health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We propose a strategy relying solely on intravenous (i.v.) beta-blocker administration for heart-rate (HR) control prior to coronary CT angiography (CCTA). We aimed to assess a potential difference in CCTA image quality (IQ) after implementation of a modified strategy compared to our standard protocol of oral premedication during the first wave of COVID-19. We analyzed CCTA examinations conducted one year before (n = 1511) and after (n = 1064) implementation of this new regime. Examinations were performed both on our 256-slice multidetector CT (MDCT) and dedicated cardiac CT (DCCT) scanners. We used a four-point Likert scale (excellent/good/moderate/non-diagnostic) for IQ assessment of the coronaries. We detected a significant increase in mean HR during examinations on both CT scanners (MDCT: 62.4 ± 10.0 vs. 65.3 ± 9.7, p < 0.001; DCCT: 61.7 ± 15.2 vs. 65.0 ± 10.7, p < 0.001). The rate of moderate/non-diagnostic IQ significantly increased on the MDCT (192/1005, 19.1% vs. 144/466, 30.9%, p < 0.001), while this ratio did not change significantly on the DCCT (62/506, 12.3% vs. 84/598, 14.0%, p = 0.38). The improved temporal resolution of DCCT allows the stand-alone use of i.v. premedication with preserved IQ; hence, the duration of visits can be shortened.
Melinda Boussoussou, Borbála Vattay, Bálint Szilveszter, Judit Simon, Andrew Lin, Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Gábor Konkoly, Béla Merkely, Pál Maurovich-Horvat, Damini Dey,et al.
Elsevier BV
Borbála Vattay, Sarolta Borzsák, Melinda Boussoussou, Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Ádám L. Jermendy, Ferenc I. Suhai, Pál Maurovich-Horvat, Béla Merkely, Márton Kolossváry, and Bálint Szilveszter
Frontiers Media SA
IntroductionWe aimed to evaluate the relationship between quantitative plaque metrics derived from coronary CT angiography (CTA) and segmental myocardial ischemia using dynamic perfusion CT (DPCT).MethodsIn a prospective single-center study, patients with &gt; 30% stenosis on rest CTA underwent regadenoson stress DPCT. 480 myocardium segments of 30 patients were analyzed. Quantitative plaque assessment included total plaque volume (PV), area stenosis, and remodeling index (RI). High-risk plaque (HRP) was defined as low-attenuation plaque burden &gt; 4% or RI &gt; 1.1. Absolute myocardial blood flow (MBF) and relative MBF (MBFi: MBF/75th percentile of all MBF values) were quantified. Linear and logistic mixed models correcting for intra-patient clustering and clinical factors were used to evaluate the association between total PV, area stenosis, HRP and MBF or myocardial ischemia (MBF &lt; 101 ml/100 g/min).ResultsMedian MBF and MBFi were 111 ml/100 g/min and 0.94, respectively. The number of ischemic segments were 164/480 (34.2%). Total PV of all feeding vessels of a given myocardial territory differed significantly between ischemic and non-ischemic myocardial segments (p = 0.001). Area stenosis and HRP features were not linked to MBF or MBFi (all p &gt; 0.05). Increase in PV led to reduced MBF and MBFi after adjusting for risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, and statin use (per 10 mm3; β = −0.035, p &lt; 0.01 for MBF; β = −0.0002, p &lt; 0.01 for MBFi). Similarly, using multivariate logistic regression total PV was associated with ischemia (OR = 1.01, p = 0.033; per 10 mm3) after adjustments for clinical risk factors, area stenosis and HRP.ConclusionTotal PV was independently associated with myocardial ischemia based on MBF, while area stenosis and HRP were not.
Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Bálint Szilveszter, Márton Kolossváry, Melinda Boussoussou, Borbála Vattay, Xenia Gonda, Zoltán Rihmer, Béla Merkely, Pál Maurovich-Horvat, and János Nemcsik
Elsevier BV
Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Ádám Levente Jermendy, Márton Kolossváry, Borbála Vattay, Melinda Boussoussou, Ferenc Imre Suhai, Alexisz Panajotu, Judit Csőre, Sarolta Borzsák, Daniele Mariastefano Fontanini,et al.
MDPI AG
Although reaching target heart rate (HR) before coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is still of importance, adequate HR control remains a challenge for many patients. Purpose-built cardiac scanners may provide optimal image quality at higher HRs by further improving temporal resolution. We aimed to compare the amount of motion artifacts on CCTA acquired using a dedicated cardiac CT (DCCT) compared to a conventional multidetector CT (MDCT) scanner. We compared 80 DCCT images to 80 MDCT scans matched by sex, age, HR, and coronary dominance. Image quality was graded on a per-patient, per-vessel and per-segment basis. Motion artifacts were assessed using Likert scores (1: non-diagnostic, 2: severe artifacts, 3: mild artifacts, 4: no artifacts). Patients were stratified into four groups according to HR (<60/min, 60–65/min, 66–70/min and >70/min). Overall, 2328 coronary segments were evaluated. DCCT demonstrated superior overall image quality compared to MDCT (3.7 ± 0.4 vs. 3.3 ± 0.7, p < 0.001). DCCT images yielded higher Likert scores in all HR ranges, which was statistically significant in the 60–65/min, 66–70/min and >70/min ranges (3.9 ± 0.2 vs. 3.7 ± 0.2, p = 0.008; 3.5 ± 0.5 vs. 3.1 ± 0.6, p = 0.048 and 3.5 ± 0.4 vs. 2.7 ± 0.7, p < 0.001, respectively). Using a dedicated cardiac scanner results in fewer motion artifacts, which may allow optimal image quality even in cases of high HRs.
Melinda Boussoussou, Bálint Szilveszter, Borbála Vattay, Márton Kolossváry, Milán Vecsey-Nagy, Zoltán Salló, Gábor Orbán, Perge Péter, Piros Katalin, Nagy Klaudia Vivien,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AbstractNowadays, a novel contact-force guided ablation technique is used for enclosing pulmonary veins in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to determine whether left atrial (LA) wall thickness (LAWT) and pulmonary vein (PV) dimensions, as assessed by cardiac CT, could influence the success rate of first-pass pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). In a single-center, prospective study, we enrolled consecutive patients with symptomatic, drug-refractory AF who underwent initial radiofrequency catheter ablation using a modified CLOSE protocol. Pre-procedural CT was performed in all cases. Additionally, the diameter and area of the PV orifices were obtained. A total of 1034 LAWT measurements and 376 PV area measurements were performed in 94 patients (mean CHA2DS2-VASc score 2.1 ± 1.5, mean age 62.4 ± 12.6 years, 39.5% female, 38.3% persistent AF). Mean procedure time was 81.2 ± 19.3 min. Complete isolation of all PVs was achieved in 100% of patients. First-pass isolation rate was 76% and 71% for the right-sided PVs and the left-sided PVs, respectively. No difference was found regarding comorbidities and imaging parameters between those with and without first-pass isolation. LAWT (mean of 11 regions or separately) had no effect on the acute procedural outcome on logistic regression analysis (all p ≥ 0.05). Out of all assessed parameters, only RSPV diameter was associated with a higher rate of successful right-sided first pass isolation (OR 1.01, p = 0.04). Left atrial wall thickness does not have an influence on the acute procedural success of PVI using ablation index and a standardized ablation protocol. RSPV diameter could influence the probability of right sided first-pass isolation.
Judit Simon, Szilvia Herczeg, Sarolta Borzsák, Judit Csőre, Anna Sára Kardos, Gergely Mérges, Emese Zsarnóczay, Nándor Szegedi, Melinda Boussoussou, Borbála Vattay,et al.
Akademiai Kiado Zrt.
Abstract Background and aim To assess the prevalence of incidental extracardiac findings in patients who underwent cardiac CT for the evaluation of left atrial (LA) anatomy before atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation. We also aimed to determine the independent predictors of relevant extracardiac alterations. Patients and methods We studied consecutive patients who underwent cardiac CT with a 256-slice scanner for the visualization of LA anatomy before AF ablation. Prevalence of clinically significant and not significant extracardiac findings were recorded. Moreover, we determined the variables associated with relevant extracardiac alterations with uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results In total, 1,952 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac CT examination between 2010 and 2020 were included in our study (mean age 61.2 ± 10.6 years; 66.2% male). Incidental extracardiac findings were detected in 820 (42.0%; 95%CI = 0.40–0.44%) patients, while clinically significant alterations were reported in 416 (21.3%; 95%CI = 20.0–23.2%) patients. When analyzing the predictors of clinically relevant alterations, age (OR = 1.04; 95%CI = 1.03–1.05), male sex (OR = 1.39; 95%CI = 1.12–1.73), chest pain (OR = 1.46; 95%CI = 1.09–1.93), hypertension (OR = 1.42; 95%CI = 1.12–1.81), heart failure (OR = 1.68; 95%CI = 1.09–2.53), obstructive CAD (OR = 1.56; 95%CI = 1.16–2.09) and prior stroke/TIA (OR = 1.56; 95%CI = 1.04–2.30) showed association with clinically significant incidental findings in the univariate analysis (all P < 0.05). In the multivariate analysis, age (OR = 1.04; 95%CI = 1.02–1.06; P < 0.001) proved to be the only significant predictor of clinically relevant extracardiac finding. Conclusion Cardiac CT performed before AF ablation is not only helpful in understanding LA anatomy, but might also identify clinically significant pathologies. These incidental findings might have further diagnostic or therapeutic consequences.