[Limits of quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) in intermediate stenosis measuring: a correlation and concordance study with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)].
BACKGROUND
Although coronarography is still the gold standard to evaluate coronary lesions, it remains a bidimensional representation of a tridimensional complex structure, which can represent a source of error in measurements.


OBJECTIVE
to perform a correlation and concordance study between quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and intravascular ultrasound measurements for intermediate and ambiguous lesions.


METHODS
We analysed 40 patients' coronary arteries from March 2009 to November 2011 by both QCA and intravascular ultrasound to perform then a correlation and concordance study.


RESULTS
the correlation study confirmed the limits of the angiogram in providing accurate measurements. The correlation coefficient was yet high in reference diameters (r=0,78, p<0,001) and minimal lumen diameters (r=0,58, p<0,001), but was middling for stenosis percentages (r=0,23, p=0,03). This coefficient was also high for lesions lengths (r=0,51, p=0,01). Bland &Altaman diagrams showed however wide limits of agreement, reflecting possibility of large measurements error and confirming the absence of concordance between the two techniques.


CONCLUSIONS
Coronarography though being the most widespread mean of evaluating coronary lesions lacks to provide accurate measurements, which can influence patient's management, especially in case of intermediate lesions.
Habib
H
Ben Ahmed
Khaled
K
Bouzouita
Imen
I
Hamdi
Houssem
H
Boussaid
Aida
A
Mokaddem
Youssef
Y
Ben Ameur
Mohamed R
MR
Boujnah
D017023:Coronary Angiography; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional