FRIDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Multidetector computed tomography assessment of coronary calcium may be a useful technique for predicting outcomes following sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation, with lesions with higher calcium scores exhibiting greater lumen loss after SES implantation, according to a study published in the Aug. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
Kengo Tanaba, M.D., Ph.D., from Mitsui Memorial Hospital in Tokyo, and colleagues investigated whether calcium has an effect on restenosis after SES implantation. A total of 52 patients with 69 lesions who underwent non-invasive coronary imaging by 69-slice multidetector computed tomography before SES deployment were included in the study. Agatston calcium scores were measured in target lesions. All patients underwent follow-up quantitative coronary angiography at eight months, at which time three coronary segments (in-stent, proximal-edge, and distal-edge) were analyzed.
The investigators found that the average Agatston calcium score in target lesions was 214.7. Late lumen losses were 0.16 ± 0.45, 0.47 ± 0.58, and 0.07 ± 0.29 mm in the proximal edge, stent, and distal edge, respectively. Compared to lesions without restenosis, a significantly higher pre-procedural calcium score was seen in those with restenosis (153 versus 629). A significant positive correlation was identified for the lesion calcium score and in-stent late lumen loss.
"Assessment of coronary calcium by multidetector computed tomography might be useful to predict outcomes after SES implantation," the authors write.
Abstract
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