Typical Chest Pain and Normal Coronary Angiogram: Cardiac Risk Factor Analysis Versus PET for Detection of Microvascular Disease

• Published in: The Journal of nuclear medicine (1978) Vol. 48; no. 2; pp. 175 - 181
• Main Authors: Graf, Senta, Khorsand, Aliasghar, Gwechenberger, Marianne, Novotny, Clemens, Kletter, Kurt, Sochor, Heinz, Pirich, Christian, Maurer, Gerald, Porenta, Gerold, Zehetgruber, Manfred
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Soc Nuclear Med 01.02.2007; Society of Nuclear Medicine
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Blood Pressure - physiology; Cardiovascular disease; Chest Pain - diagnosis; Coronary Angiography; Coronary Circulation; Diabetes; Echocardiography; Female; Human subjects; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Lipids - blood; Male; Medical imaging; Medical personnel; Medical research; Menopause; Microvascular Angina - diagnosis; Microvascular Angina - diagnostic imaging; Middle Aged; Nuclear medicine; Physical examinations; Positron-Emission Tomography; Risk assessment; Risk Factors; ROC Curve; Skeletal system; Software packages; Studies; Womens health
• ISSN: 0161-5505; 1535-5667

Angiography of patients with typical chest pain reveals normal epicardial coronary arteries in about 20%. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) determination is an elaborate, but helpful, task, as only the evidence of microvascular disease enables appropriate therapy. We prospectively evaluated the incidence of a dysfunctional microcirculation and searched for predictive parameters of a reduced CFR. In 79 consecutive patients (52 females, 27 males) with typical angina and a normal angiogram and 10 control subjects (6 females, 4 males), CFR was measured by 13N-ammonia rest/dipyridamole PET and correlated with clinical parameters individually and summarized as the number of risk factors (NRF) using an elaborated cardiac risk factor score. Sixty-five percent of patients had a reduced CFR (CFR < 2.5). CFR correlated with NRF (r = 0.55, P < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (r = 0.46, P < 0.001), interventricular septal thickness (r = 0.33, P < 0.01), and age (r = 0.25, P = 0.02). Eighty-five percent of patients with a high risk factor score (NRF > or = 5) had a reduced CFR. In contrast, 100% of our patients with a low risk factor score (NRF < 2) presented a normal CFR. In total, 55% of our patients could be allocated to either one of these groups. In about two thirds of patients, anginal pain can be explained by a reduced CFR. Risk factors have a cumulative negative effect on CFR. A clinical cardiac risk factor analysis enables estimation of individual probability of microvascular dysfunction in a significant proportion of these patients. However, CFR measurements are recommended for those with an intermediate NRF.