Diabetes: Prognostic Value of CT Coronary Angiography: Comparison With a Nondiabetic Population

Radiology. 2010; 256(1):83-92

Van Werkhoven JM, Cademartiri F, Seitun S, Maffei E, Palumbo A, Martini C, Tarantini G, Kroft LJ, de Roos A, Weustink AC, Jukema JW, Ardissino D, Mollet NR, Schuijf JD, Bax JJ

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prognostic value of multidetector computed tomographic (CT) coronary angiography in a diabetic population known to have or suspected of having coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with that in nondiabetic individuals.

METHODS: Institutional review board approval and patient informed consent were obtained. Three hundred thirteen patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and 303 patients without DM underwent unenhanced 64-detector row CT, at which a calcium score was obtained, followed by CT angiography. Multidetector CT coronary angiograms were retrospectively classified as normal, showing nonobstructive CAD (<50% luminal narrowing), or showing obstructive CAD (>50% luminal narrowing). During follow-up after CT angiography, major events (cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and unstable angina requiring hospitalization) and total events (major events plus coronary revascularizations) were recorded for each patient. Cox proportional hazards analysis and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to compare survival rates.

RESULTS: In the group of 313 patients with DM, there were 213 men, and the mean age was 62 years +/- 11 (standard deviation). In the group of 303 patients without DM, there were 203 men, and the mean age was 63 years +/- 11. The mean number of diseased segments (5.6 vs 4.4, P = .001) and the rate of obstructive CAD (51% vs 37%, P < .001) were higher in patients with DM. Patients were followed up for a mean of 20 months +/- 5.4 (range, 6-44 months). At multivariate analysis, DM (P < .001) and evidence of obstructive CAD (P < .001) were independent predictors of outcome. Obstructive CAD remained a significant multivariate predictor for both patients with DM and patients without DM. In both patients with DM and patients without DM with absence of disease, the event rate was 0%. The event rate increased to 36% in patients without DM but with obstructive CAD and was highest (47%) in patients with DM and obstructive CAD.

CONCLUSIONS: In both patients with DM and patients without DM, multidetector CT coronary angiography provides incremental prognostic information over baseline clinical variables, and the absence of atherosclerosis at CT coronary angiography is associated with an excellent prognosis. Multidetector CT coronary angiography might be a clinically useful tool for improving risk stratification in both patients with DM and patients without DM.

PMID: 20574086

One Response

  1. Ronen Rubinshtein  on June 26th, 2010

    Interesting and important data regarding the prognostic value of coronary CTA! However, the majority of patients with obstructive CAD in this study did not experience “hard events” (cardiac death or MI). Although, most events were “soft”, CTA was of prognostic value in patients with and without diabetes. Most “hard events” were in the diabetic group (15/313 vs 4/303). The results are somewhat less “pure” due to the inclusion of patients with known CAD (a third of the patients in both groups). I therefore still not completely sure what is the prognostic value in diabetic patients without known CAD and with minimal (or no) symptoms. This is an area of ongoing research. Moreover, will CTA diagnosis change patient outcome? Time will tell…


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