title: Early detection of coronary artery disease by 64-slice multidetector computed tomography in asymptomatic hypertensive high-risk patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The 64-slice multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) is an accurate noninvasive technique for assessing the degree of luminal narrowing in coronary arteries of patients with chronic ischemic disease. Aim of this study was to determine the value of MDCT in comparison to invasive coronary angiography (ICA) for detecting the presence and extent of coronary atherosclerotic plaques in a population of asymptomatic, hypertensive patients considered to be at high risk for cardiovascular events.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 67 asymptomatic, hypertensive patients at high-risk (Euro Score >5%). All patients had negative or nondiagnostic findings at exercise stress testing and therefore underwent both MDCT and ICA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the per-patient analysis, MDCT correctly identified 16/17 (94%) patients with significant coronary artery disease involving at least 1 vessel and 48/50 (96%) normal subjects. In the per-segment analysis, MDCT correctly detected 21/22 (95%) coronary segments with a stenosis >or=50% and 856/868 (98%) normal segments, with a high negative predictivity of normal scans (100%). There was a good concordance between MDCT and ICA, with a high Pearson correlation coefficient between the coronary narrowings with the two techniques (r=0.84, p<0.01). Mean coronary calcium score was higher for the 17 patients with significant coronary artery disease on ICA than in the 50 patients without (422+/-223 HU vs 72+/-21 HU p<0.001). The ROC curves identified 160 as the best calcium volumetric score cut-off value able to identify >or=1 significant coronary stenosis with sensitivity 88% and specificity 85%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MDCT is an excellent noninvasive technique for early identification of significant coronary stenoses in high risk asymptomatic hypertensive patients and might provide unique information for the screening of this broad population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Heart and Great Vessels A. Reale, University La Sapienza of Rome, Rome, Italy. carlo.gaudio@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gaudio
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mirabelli
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pelliccia
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Francone
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tanzilli
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Michele
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leonetti
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Vincentis
authors.forename: Iacopo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mangieri
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Passariello
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods*