Quality of Life is Related to Haemodynamics in Precapillary Pulmonary Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterised by compromised functional capacity and impaired quality of life. Assessment of haemodynamics is routinely used for initial diagnosis, follow-up, and risk stratification in these patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as assessed by emPHasis-10 score, a self-assessment questionnaire assessing breathlessness, fatigue, control, and confidence, to haemodynamic and neurohormonal indices in patients with precapillary PH. METHOD: This was a prospective cross-sectional study which included stable patients with precapillary PH. All patients underwent right heart catheterisation, 6-minute walk test, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) measurement, and assessment of HRQoL with the emPHasis-10 scale. RESULTS: Overall, 54 patients were included (32 women; mean age, 58.4 ± 14.6 yr). Mean emPHasis-10 score was 19.2 ± 12.0. EmPHasis-10 score correlated with World Health Organization functional class (r = 0.52, p < 0.001), 6-minute walk distance (r=-0.56, p < 0.001), and log10(NT-proBNP) (r = 0.41, p < 0.01). A positive correlation of emPHasis-10 score with mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and a negative correlation with mixed venous oxygen saturation and cardiac index was observed, after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and PH group. In a subgroup analysis of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (n = 34) there was a stronger correlation of emPHasis-10 score with mPAP (r = 0.86, p < 0.001) and PVR (r = 0.69, p < 0.01), but no correlation with cardiac index and mixed venous oxygen saturation. CONCLUSIONS: Self-assessment of quality of life with the use of the emPHasis-10 score reflects functional capacity and is correlated with haemodynamic and neurohormonal indices of right heart dysfunction in patients with precapillary PH.

Iatrogenic Lutembacher Syndrome after Percutaneous Mitral Commissurotomy.

Atrial septal defects (ASDs) are common immediately after percutaneous mitral commissurotomy (PMC). They are usually small, hemodynamically insignificant, and tend to decrease or disappear within 6 to 12 months. Herein, a case is described of persistent ASD in a patient with mitral valve stenosis who had undergone successful PMC three years previously. The patient had signs and symptoms of right heart failure and severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) with borderline right ventricular systolic function on echocardiography, in addition to the ASD. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging played a significant role in decision-making by clarifying the anatomy of the ASD and severity of the shunt, measuring right ventricular systolic function, and providing absolute quantification for TR. The right ventricular systolic function was normal on CMR, rendering the patient suitable for surgical treatment. Persistent iatrogenic ASDs have become an increasingly common finding after invasive procedures requiring trans-septal puncture and the manipulation of catheters. Multimodality imaging can provide significant aid in the management of patients with valvular heart disease complicated by iatrogenic shunts.

Atrial septostomy and disease targeting therapy in pulmonary hypertension secondary to neurofibromatosis.

BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a rare multisystem genetic disorder. During the course of the disease it can be rarely complicated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) which confers a dismal prognosis. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a 57-year-old female patient with NF1 complicated by severe precapillary PH despite dual disease-specific oral combination therapy. The patient was treated with initial atrial septostomy followed by administration of high-dose subcutaneous treprostinil with a favorable medium-term clinical and hemodynamic response. CONCLUSIONS: PH secondary to NF1 may be successfully treated with the combination of atrial septostomy and PH targeted therapy in selected patients.

Clinical characteristics and natural history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with midventricular obstruction.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence, clinical characteristics and natural history of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and midventricular obstruction (MVO) have not been adequately studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: A single-center cohort consisting of 423 patients (mean age, 49.3±17.2 years; 66.2% male) was thoroughly followed up for a median of 84 months (7 years; range, 6-480 months). MVO, characterized by the echocardiographic appearance of midventricular muscular apposition with a simultaneous mid-cavitary gradient ≥30mmHg, was identified in 34 patients (8%). Patients with MVO tended to be more symptomatic during their initial evaluation (>90% presented with NYHA class ≥II) compared to the rest of the HCM cohort. Apical aneurysm formation was identified in more than one-fourth of patients with MVO (26.5%), being a characteristic of the group. On multivariate Cox regression hazard analysis, presence of MVO strongly predicted progression to end-stage (burnt out) HCM and related heart failure (HF) deaths (hazard ratio, [HR], 2.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-8.8; P=0.047), as well as sudden death and associated lethal arrhythmic events (HR, 3.3; 95% CI: 1.26-8.85; P=0.016). CONCLUSIONS: MVO is a distinct phenotype of HCM associated with unfavorable prognosis in terms of end-stage HCM, sudden death and lethal arrhythmic events. The high adverse outcome rate necessitates early recognition of MVO and appropriate therapeutic interventions.

Quinidine: an "endangered species" drug appropriate for management of electrical storm in brugada syndrome.

Brugada syndrome is an inherited channelopathy associated with an increased risk of syncope and sudden cardiac death. In rare cases it can be manifested with electrical storm. We report two cases of Brugada syndrome that presented with electrical storm and were treated successfully with oral quinidine, an "endangered species" drug.

Successful high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention with the use of minimal extracorporeal circulation system.

Minimal extracorporeal circulation (MECC) represents a contemporary system which integrates several advances in cardiopulmonary bypass technology in a single circuit. We challenged the efficacy of the MECC system to support the circulation in elective high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A 78-year-old patient with complex coronary disease who would have been otherwise rejected for interventional therapy underwent PCI with rotablation on MECC support. The MECC system provided hemodynamic support at a flow of 1.8 L min(-1) m(-2) while perfusion pressure was kept at a minimum of 70 mm Hg. This allowed for successful angioplasty of the left main stem and a chronically occluded right coronary artery, which otherwise produced significant hemodynamic compromise. This case illustrates that mechanical circulatory support with the MECC system could provide a stable environment and a "safety net" for carrying out complex percutaneous coronary intervention in high-risk patients.

Role of cardiac CT in the diagnostic evaluation and risk stratification of patients with myocardial infarction and non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA): rationale and design of the MINOCA-GR study.

INTRODUCTION: Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) occurs in 5%-15% of all patients with acute myocardial infarction. Cardiac MR (CMR) and optical coherence tomography have been used to identify the underlying pathophysiological mechanism in MINOCA. The role of cardiac CT angiography (CCTA) in patients with MINOCA, however, has not been well studied so far. CCTA can be used to assess atherosclerotic plaque volume, vulnerable plaque characteristics as well as pericoronary fat tissue attenuation, which has not been yet studied in MINOCA. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: MINOCA-GR is a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study based on a national registry that will use CCTA in combination with CMR and invasive coronary angiography (ICA) to evaluate the extent and characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis and its correlation with pericoronary fat attenuation in patients with MINOCA. A total of 60 consecutive adult patients across 4 participating study sites are expected to be enrolled. Following ICA and CMR, patients will undergo CCTA during index hospitalisation. The primary endpoints are quantification of extent and severity of coronary atherosclerosis, description of high-risk plaque features and attenuation profiling of pericoronary fat tissue around all three major epicardial coronary arteries in relation to CMR. Follow-up CCTA for the evaluation of changes in pericoronary fat attenuation will also be performed. MINOCA-GR aims to be the first study to explore the role of CCTA in combination with CMR and ICA in the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and assisting in diagnostic evaluation and prognosis of patients with MINOCA. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol has been approved by the institutional review board/independent ethics committee at each site prior to study commencement. All patients will provide written informed consent. Results will be disseminated at national meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT4186676.

How Should I Get Prepared for and Treat Rota Burr Entrapment in a Focally Underexpanded and Restenosed Stent: A Case Report.

Although high-speed rotational atherectomy has been successfully used in selected cases of stent underexpansion secondary to heavy peri-stent calcification, a higher risk of burr entrapment demands extreme caution and surgical back-up on site. The main cause of this complication is the lack of diamond dust on the back end of the burr, which prevents backward ablation of tissues when retracted. To date, only few reports of successful burr retrieval using percutaneous bailout techniques have been published. We report a case of burr entrapment within a previously implanted left circumflex artery stent which was successfully recaptured using the dual catheter technique; following the retrieval the patient underwent routine percutaneous coronary intervention.

The Interplay between Myocardial Fibrosis, Strain Imaging and Collagen Biomarkers in Adults with Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot.

BACKGROUND: We sought to assess the interplay between right ventricle (RV) fibrosis, biventricular dysfunction based on global longitudinal strain (GLS) analysis, and biomarkers such as Galectin-3 (Gal-3), procollagen type III (PCIII), and NTproBNP. METHODS: We studied 35 adult patients with rToF. All patients underwent a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scan including feature tracking for deformation imaging. Blood biomarkers were measured. RESULTS: LGE RV was detected in all patients, mainly at surgical sites. Patients with the highest RV LGE scoring had greater RV dilatation and dysfunction whereas left ventricular (LV) function was preserved. LV GLS correlated with RV total fibrosis score (p = 0.007). A LV GLS value of -15.9% predicted LGE RV score > 8 (AUC 0.754 (p = 0.02)). Neither RV GLS nor biomarker levels were correlated with the extent of RV fibrosis. A cut-off value for NTproBNP of 145.25 pg/mL predicted LGE RV score > 8 points (AUC 0.729, (p = 0.03)). A cut-off value for Gal-3 of 7.42 ng/mL predicted PR Fraction > 20% [AUC 0.704, (p = 0.05)]. CONCLUSIONS: A significant extent of RV fibrosis was mainly detected at surgical sites of RV, affecting RV performance. CMR-FT reveals subtle LV dysfunction in rToF patients, due to decreased performance of the fibrotic RV. Impaired LV function and elevated NTproBNP in rToF reflect a dysfunctional fibrotic RV.

Micro-CT-Based Quantification of Extracted Thrombus Burden Characteristics and Association With Angiographic Outcomes in Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: The QUEST-STEMI Study.

Background: Angiographic detection of thrombus in STEMI is associated with adverse outcomes. However, routine thrombus aspiration failed to demonstrate the anticipated benefit. Hence, management of high coronary thrombus burden remains challenging. We sought to assess for the first time extracted thrombotic material characteristics utilizing micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Methods: One hundred thirteen STEMI patients undergoing thrombus aspiration were enrolled. Micro-CT was undertaken to quantify retrieved thrombus volume, surface, and density. Correlation of these indices with angiographic and electrocardiographic outcomes was performed. Results: Mean aspirated thrombus volume, surface, and density (±standard deviation) were 15.71 ± 20.10 mm3, 302.89 ± 692.54 mm2, and 3139.04 ± 901.88 Hounsfield units, respectively. Aspirated volume and surface were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in patients with higher angiographic thrombus burden. After multivariable analysis, independent predictors for thrombus volume were reference vessel diameter (RVD) (p = 0.011), right coronary artery (RCA) (p = 0.039), and smoking (p = 0.027), whereas RVD (p = 0.018) and RCA (p = 0.019) were predictive for thrombus surface. Thrombus volume and surface were independently associated with distal embolization (p = 0.007 and p = 0.028, respectively), no-reflow phenomenon (p = 0.002 and p = 0.006, respectively), and angiographically evident residual thrombus (p = 0.007 and p = 0.002, respectively). Higher thrombus density was correlated with worse pre-procedural TIMI flow (p < 0.001). Patients with higher aspirated volume and surface developed less ST resolution (p = 0.042 and p = 0.023, respectively). Conclusions: Angiographic outcomes linked with worse prognosis were more frequent among patients with larger extracted thrombus. Despite retrieving larger thrombus load in these patients, current thrombectomy devices fail to deal with thrombotic material adequately. Further studies of novel thrombus aspiration technologies are warranted to improve patient outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration: QUEST-STEMI trial ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT03429608 Date of registration: February 12, 2018. The study was prospectively registered.

Radial versus femoral access for orally anticoagulated patients.

OBJECTIVES: To prospectively compare the efficacy and procedural safety of the radial versus femoral route for cardiac catheterization during uninterrupted warfarin therapy. BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment strategy for cardiac catheterization in patients receiving long-term oral anticoagulation has not been defined. Increasing evidence suggests the feasibility and safety of catheterization without warfarin interruption. However, the relative safety and efficacy of the radial and femoral access in fully anticoagulated patients are unknown. METHODS: Fifty-six consecutive patients on chronic warfarin treatment with international normalized ratio (INR) between 1.8 and 3.5 were randomized to undergo coronary angiography, alone, or followed by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), via the femoral (n = 29) or radial route (n = 27). Procedural success, in-hospital major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, access-site, and bleeding complications were recorded. RESULTS: The two groups were well balanced with similar clinical characteristics at baseline. There were no significant differences in preprocedural antiplatelet therapy or in INR levels between the radial and femoral group (2.62 ± 0.7 vs. 2.48 ± 0.6, respectively, P = 0.63). Procedural success was achieved in all femoral patients, whereas one patient in the radial group (3.7%) required crossover to femoral access. Eight patients from the femoral and 10 patients from the radial group successfully underwent PCI. Access-site complications occurred only in patients who underwent PCI: three (37.5%) in the femoral versus none in the radial group (P = 0.034). CONCLUSION: The radial access is as efficacious and safe as the femoral route for coronary angiography in fully anticoagulated patients, but is likely to result in fewer access-site complications in patients who also undergo PCI.

Torsades de Pointes and Prolonged Self-Terminating Ventricular Fibrillation Induced by Amiodarone.

A 71-year-old man with a recent diagnosis of pneumonia developed paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and was admitted to the cardiology service. Amiodarone was administered intravenously to restore sinus rhythm. Significant prolongation of the QT interval (QTc = 640ms) was noted and an exceedingly prolonged (over 3 minutes), self-terminating, episode of ventricular flutter/fibrillation occurred during bedside monitoring. The event was terminated without first converting to a more organized ventricular rhythm and without any adverse neurological sequelae. Apart from the long duration of ventricular fibrillation and its spontaneous termination, our case highlights the importance of the continuous heart rhythm monitoring in patients with extreme QT interval prolongation.

Calcification of coronary arteries and aortic valve and circulating a-klotho levels in patients with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that the anti-aging protein a-Klotho is a central modulator of mineral homeostasis. Circulating a-Klotho exerts endocrine activity and has been implicated in the process of vascular calcification, which is accelerated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and portends an unfavorable overall prognosis. However, the role of a-Klotho in this process remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible interaction between a-Klotho and the calcification of the aortic valve and coronary arteries in patients with CKD. METHODS: In this study we enrolled a total of 60 adult patients with CKD. Group 1 included 30 participants with CKD stage V and group 2 included 30 participants with CKD stage III. RESULTS: Participants in group 1 had lower levels of circulating a-Klotho compared to group 2 (390; 280-590 vs. 722; 501-897 pg/mL; P=0.001), were of younger age (55.5; 45-63 vs. 69; 62-74 years; P<0.001), had lower body mass index (25.6; 23.8-27.5 vs. 28.2; 25.7-31.1 kg/m2; P=0.036), higher serum phosphate (4.75; 4-5.6 vs. 3.35; 2.9-3.8 mg/dL; P<0.001), higher calcium-phosphate product (41; 35.1-49.2 vs. 31.5; 28.6-35 mg2/dL2; P<0.001), and higher parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels (28.4; 15-44.6 vs. 7.05; 4.3-10.2 pmol /L; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of coronary arteries and aortic valve calcification. Calcitonin, PTH and phosphate were identified as predictors for circulating a-Klotho levels whereas, only hyperlipidemia was identified as predictor for coronary artery calcification. In conclusion, circulating a-Klotho is found to decrease with worsening CKD severity but no correlation was found between the levels of a-Klotho and severity of coronary arteries and aortic valve calcification.

Duration of interventricular septal shift toward the left ventricle is associated with poor clinical outcome in precapillary pulmonary hypertension: A cardiac magnetic resonance study.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular pressure overload results in interventricular septal shift toward the left ventricle in patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). We aimed to investigate the predictive role of the duration of septal curvature configuration during the cardiac cycle, as expressed by the novel marker curvature duration index (CDi) in precapillary PH. METHODS: This was a prospective study. All patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). CDi was defined by the number of CMR frames in which septal curvature configuration toward left ventricle is observed *100/total number of frames per cardiac cycle. Time from enrollment to first clinical failure event (death, hospitalization due to PH, and disease progression) was recorded. RESULTS: The study included 36 patients with precapillary PH. During a median follow-up of 20 months (IQR 4-37 months), 14 clinical failure events were observed. Survival ROC analysis showed that the optimal cutoff value of CDi, which predicted clinical failure, was 67%. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that CDi≥67% was associated with a 9.4-fold increase in the risk for clinical failure. Addition of CDi to baseline models including six-minute walk test distance (c-statistic = 0.65 vs. c-statistic = 0.79), NT-proBNP (c-statistic = 0.72 vs. c-statistic = 0.83), and WHO functional class (c-statistic = 0.76 vs. c-statistic = 0.81) improved risk stratification. CONCLUSION: Ventricular septal shift toward the left ventricle lasting for more than the two thirds of the cardiac cycle is associated with worse prognosis in precapillary PH.

Identification of high risk patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a northern Greek population.

BACKGROUND: The percentage of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients who are in high risk for Sudden Death (SD) constitutes only a minority of all HCM population but the incidence of SD in this subset is high (at least 5% annually). The identification of this small but important proportion of high risk HCM patients has been the clue in the clinical evaluation of these patients. METHODS: Our study cohort consisted from 123 patients with HCM who are currently followed up in our Institution. Five clinical risk factors were assessed: a family history of premature SD, unexplained syncope, Non Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia (NSVT) on 24-h ECG monitoring, Abnormal Blood Pressure Response (ABPR) during upright exercise testing and Maximum left ventricular Wall Thickness (MWT) > or =30 mm. The purpose of our study was the identification of high risk HCM patients coming from Northern Greece. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (12.2%) of the whole cohort had MWT > or = 30 mm, 30 patients (24.4%) had an ABPR to exercise, 17 patients (13.8%) had episodes of NSVT in 24-h Holter monitoring, 17 patients (13.8%) suffered from syncope, and 8 patients (6.5%) had a positive family history of premature SD. Data analysis revealed that 74 patients (60.1%) had none risk factor. Twenty four patients (19.5%) had 1 risk factor, 17 patients (13.8%) had 2 risk factors, 4 patients (3.25%) had 3 risk factors, and 4 patients (3.25%) had 4 risk factors, while none patient had 5 risk factors. Twenty five patients (20.3%) had 2 or more risk factors. CONCLUSION: This study for the first time confirms that, although a 60% of patients with HCM coming from a regional Greek population are in low risk for SD, a substantial proportion (almost 20%) carries a high risk for SD justifying prophylactic therapy with amiodaron or ICD implantation.

Management of left ventricular free wall rupture under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support.

This is a case report of a patient with left ventricular free wall rupture after acute myocardial infarction that was managed successfully with the use of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit for resuscitation, surgical repair and postoperative circulatory support. Conversion to conventional cardiopulmonary bypass for surgical repair was avoided. Decompression of the left ventricle during the postoperative period promotes myocardial recovery and leads to improved fixation of surgical repair.

Diagnostic value of stored electrograms in pacemaker patients.

OBJECTIVE: Stored electrograms (EGMs) are diagnostic tools in modern pacemakers, providing data concerning arrhythmia occurrence and device function. We sought to validate the impact of stored EGMs on diagnosis and verification of arrhythmias presented after pacemaker implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled 71 consecutive patients (mean age 64 +/- 8 years, 51 men) with a standard indication for pacemaker implantation. The following pacemaker devices were implanted: DDDR = 57, VDDR = 5, VVIR = 9. EGM triggers were atrial tachycardia (AT), non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) and ventricular tachycardia (VT). We retrieved and analysed 362 EGMs at 3 and 6 months after implantation. The EGMs were triggered by AT in 260 EGMs (72%), by NSVT in 80 (22%) and by VT in 22 (6%). In total, 243 episodes (67%) confirmed the arrhythmic events, while 119 episodes (33%) were classified as false-positive. They were divided into false-positive AT in 85 EGMs (33%), false-positive NSVT in 28 (35%) and false-positive VT in 6 EGMs (27%). The false-positive AT cases were caused by ventricular far-field sensing from the atrial channel in 34 EGMs (40%) and noise or myopotentials in 51 EGMs (60%). Most of the false-positive VT and NSVT episodes were due to atrial fibrillation or atrial tachycardias in 21 EGMs (62%), while the rest were caused by noise in 11 EGMs (32%) or ventricular T wave oversensing in 2 EGMs (6%). CONCLUSIONS: Stored EGMs in pacemaker patients were diagnostic in two thirds of arrhythmic episodes. They are useful tools to diagnose arrhythmias and identify sensing problems, and they contribute to optimal device programming and patient management.

Data on diagnostic performance of stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance for coronary artery disease detection at the vessel level.

Stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been proposed as an important gatekeeper for invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in patients evaluated for possible coronary artery disease (CAD) (Fihn et al., 2012; Montalescot et al., 2013) [1], [2]. Several meta-analyses have evaluated the accuracy of stress perfusion CMR to diagnose CAD at the vessel level (Danad et al., 2017; Dai et al., 2016; Jiang et al., 2016; Takx et al., 2015; Li et al., 2015; Desai and Jha, 2013; Jaarsma et al. 2012; Hamon et al., 2010; Nandalur et al. 2007) [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11]. However, they included in the same analysis studies with different definitions of significant CAD (i.e. fractional flow reserve [FFR] < 0.75 and < 0.80 or coronary stenosis ≥ 50% and ≥ 70%), magnetic field strength (1.5 or 3 Tesla [T]), and study protocol (integration or not of late gadolinium enhancement [LGE] into stress perfusion protocol). Data of 34 studies (6091 arteries) have been pooled with the aim of analyzing the accuracy of stress perfusion CMR for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease at the vessel level according to different definitions of significant CAD, magnetic field strength and study protocol (Arnold et al., 2010; Bettencourt et al., 2013; Cheng et al., 2007; Chiribiri et al., 2013; Cury et al., 2006; De Mello et al., 2012; Donati et al., 2010; Ebersberger et al., 2013; Gebker et al., 2008; Greulich et al., 2015; Hussain et al., 2016; Ishida et al., 2005, 2003; Kamiya et al., 2014; Kitagawa et al., 2008; Klein et al., 2008; Klem et al., 2006; Klumpp et al., 2010; Krittayaphong et al., 2009; Lockie et al., 2011; Ma et al., 2012; Merkle et al., 2007; Meyer et al., 2008; Mor-Avi et al., 2008; Pan et al., 2015; Papanastasiou et al., 2016; Pons Lladó et al., 2004; Sakuma et al., 2005; Salerno et al., 2014; Scheffel et al., 2010; van Werkhoven et al., 2010; Walcher et al., 2013; Watkins et al., 2009; Yun et al., 2015) [12-45]. This article describes data related article titled "Diagnostic Performance of Stress Perfusion Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Detection of Coronary Artery Disease" (Kiaos et al., submitted for publication) [46].

Diagnostic performance of stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance for the detection of coronary artery disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of qualitative stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to diagnose ischemia-causing lesions according to different definitions of significant coronary artery disease (CAD), and magnetic field strength. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for studies evaluating diagnostic performance of qualitative stress perfusion CMR for diagnosis of CAD versus coronary angiography or fractional flow reserve (FFR) from inception to 10 September 2017. We used hierarchical models to synthesize the available data. RESULTS: Sixty-seven studies (7113 patients) met the inclusion criteria. The patient-based analysis of studies using FFR as the reference standard demonstrated a mean sensitivity of 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.93) and a mean specificity of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.80-0.89). The patient-based analyses for detecting coronary stenosis ≥50% and coronary stenosis ≥70% at 1.5T and for detecting coronary stenosis ≥50% and coronary stenosis ≥70%, at 3T, demonstrated a mean sensitivity of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.79-0.84), 0.86 (95% CI, 0.83-0.89), 0.90 (95% CI, 0.82-0.95), and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.79-0.96), respectively; with a mean specificity of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.71-0.80), 0.77 (95% CI, 0.71-0.81), 0.79 (95% CI, 0.69-0.86), and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.59-0.85). CONCLUSION: Qualitative stress perfusion CMR has high accuracy for the diagnosis of CAD, irrespective of the reference standard and the magnet strength. Studies using FFR as the reference standard had higher diagnostic accuracy on a patient level compared to studies using coronary angiography, with a notable difference in specificity.