title: Coronary artery and thoracic aorta calcification is inversely related to coronary flow reserve as measured by ⁸²Rb PET/CT in intermediate risk patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The strength and nature of the relationship between myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), coronary flow reserve (CFR), and coronary artery calcium (CAC) and thoracic aorta calcium (TAC) remain to be clarified.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dynamic rest-pharmacological stress (82)Rb positron emission tomography/computed tomography MPI with CFR, CAC, and TAC was performed in 75 patients (59 ± 13 years; F/M = 38/37) with intermediate risk of coronary artery disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 29 (39%) patients had ischemic and 46 (61%) had normal MPI. CAC was correlated with TAC (ρ = 0.7; P < .001), and CFR was inversely related with CAC and TAC (ρ = -0.6 and -0.5; P < .001, respectively). By gender-specific univariate analysis, age (P = .001), CAC (P = .004), and CFR (P = .008) in males, but CFR (P = .0001), age (P = .002), and TAC (P = .01) in females were significant predictors of ischemic MPI. By multiple regression, the most potent predictor was CFR [odds ratio (OR) = 0.17, P = .01), followed by age (OR = 1.07, P = .02), gender (OR = 4.01, P = .03), and CAC (OR = 1.002, P = .9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combination of MPI, CFR, CAC, and TAC has complementary roles in intermediate risk patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1141, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA. john.jhkim@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jongho
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Paco E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Bravo
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gholamrezanezhad
authors.forename: Seil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Ash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rafique
authors.forename: Arlene
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Travis
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Machac
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000473:pathology*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000473:pathology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods; D016017:Odds Ratio; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012414:Rubidium Radioisotopes; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D012414:Rubidium Radioisotopes