Noninvasive Imaging Aids Selection of Stenosis Patients Needing Revascularization Procedure

WEDNESDAY, April 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Computed tomography fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) improves assessment of vessel blockages and reduces the number of stenosis patients referred for invasive revascularization procedures, according to a study published online April 4 in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging.

Mangun K. Randhawa, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues assessed three-month clinical outcomes among 284 patients with significant stenosis who underwent CT-FFR analysis of dual-source CT scans without heart rate control.

The researchers found that 56.3 percent had CT-FFR >0.80 (a negative result), 30.9 percent had a clearly positive result (≤0.75), and 12.6 percent had a borderline result between 0.76 and 0.80. Among patients with significant stenosis at coronary CT angiography, patients who underwent CT-FFR analysis had lower rates of invasive coronary angiography (74.5 versus 25.5 percent) and percutaneous coronary intervention (78.9 versus 21.1 percent).

“In patients with moderate narrowing or blockage of the arteries, there can be ambiguity about who would benefit from invasive testing and revascularization procedures,” Randhawa said in a statement. “CT-FFR helps us identify and select those patients who are most likely to benefit.”

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