Long-term prognostic value of whole-heart coronary magnetic resonance angiography

• Published in: Journal of cardiovascular magnetic resonance Vol. 23; no. 1; p. 56
• Main Authors: Nakamura, Satoshi, Ishida, Masaki, Nakata, Kei, Ichikawa, Yasutaka, Takase, Shinichi, Takafuji, Masafumi, Ito, Haruno, Nakamori, Shiro, Kurita, Tairo, Dohi, Kaoru, Sakuma, Hajime
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 17.05.2021; BioMed Central; Elsevier
• Subjects: Analysis; Angina; Angina pectoris; Angiography; Cardiac patients; Cardiovascular disease; Coronary Angiography; Coronary artery; Coronary artery disease; Coronary Artery Disease - diagnostic imaging; Coronary magnetic resonance angiography; Coronary vessels; Death; Diabetes mellitus; Dyslipidemia; Genetics; Health hazards; Heart; Heart attack; Humans; Hypertension; Image acquisition; Long-term prognostic value; Magnetic resonance; Magnetic Resonance Angiography; Medical imaging; Mortality; Multivariate analysis; Myocardial infarction; Patients; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Regression analysis; Resonance; Respiration; Risk analysis; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Scanners; Survival analysis; Coronary artery disease; Long-term prognostic value; Coronary magnetic resonance angiography
• ISSN: 1097-6647; 1532-429X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12968-021-00749-w

Coronary magnetic resonance angiography (CMRA) allows non-ionizing visualization of luminal narrowing in coronary artery disease (CAD). Although a prior study showed the usefulness of CMRA for risk stratification in short-term follow-up, the long-term prognostic value of CMRA remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term prognostic value of CMRA. A total of 506 patients without history of myocardial infarction or prior coronary artery revascularization underwent free-breathing whole-heart CMRA between 2009 and 2015. Images were acquired using a 1.5 T or 3 T scanner and visually evaluated as the consensus decisions of two observers. Obstructive CAD on CMRA was defined as luminal narrowing of ≥ 50% in at least one coronary artery. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) comprised cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and unstable angina. Obstructive CAD on CMRA was observed in 214 patients (42%). During follow-up (median, 5.6 years), 31 MACE occurred. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis revealed a significant difference in event-free survival between patients with and without obstructive CAD for MACE (log-rank, p = 0.003) and cardiac death (p = 0.012). Annualized event rates for MACE in patients with no obstructive CAD, 1-vessel disease, 2-vessel disease, and left-main or 3-vessel disease were 0.6%, 1.5%, 2.3%, and 3.6%, respectively (log-rank, p = 0.003). Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that, among obstructive CAD on CMRA and clinical risk factors (age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, and family history of CAD), obstructive CAD and diabetes were significant predictors of MACE (hazard ratios, 2.9 [p = 0.005] and 2.2 [p = 0.034], respectively). In multivariate analysis, obstructive CAD remained an independent predictor (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.6 [p = 0.010]) after adjusting for diabetes. Addition of obstructive CAD to clinical risk factors significantly increased the global chi-square result from 8.3 to 13.8 (p = 0.022). In long-term follow-up, free breathing whole heart CMRA allows non-invasive risk stratification for MACE and cardiac death and provides incremental prognostic value over conventional risk factors in patients without a history of myocardial infarction or prior coronary artery revascularization. The presence and severity of obstructive CAD detected by CMRA were associated with worse prognosis. Importantly, patients without obstructive CAD on CMRA displayed favorable prognosis.