We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




Coronary CT Angiography Reveals Link between Coronary Artery Plaque and Liver Disease

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 19 Nov 2014
Print article
Image: Coronary CT angiography images demonstrate examples of high-risk plaque features. A, Image was obtained in a 63-year-old man with partially calcified plaque, positive remodeling (vertical arrow), and spotty calcium (horizontal arrow). B, A cross-sectional view of a noncalcified plaque in a 65-year-old man demonstrates a napkin-ring sign with a central low-attenuation area, surrounded by a peripheral rim of higher attenuation (arrow) next to the lumen (∗). C, Image in a 60-year-old woman with partially calcified plaque demonstrates a low CT number in the midportion (arrow) (Photo courtesy of the journal Radiology).
Image: Coronary CT angiography images demonstrate examples of high-risk plaque features. A, Image was obtained in a 63-year-old man with partially calcified plaque, positive remodeling (vertical arrow), and spotty calcium (horizontal arrow). B, A cross-sectional view of a noncalcified plaque in a 65-year-old man demonstrates a napkin-ring sign with a central low-attenuation area, surrounded by a peripheral rim of higher attenuation (arrow) next to the lumen (∗). C, Image in a 60-year-old woman with partially calcified plaque demonstrates a low CT number in the midportion (arrow) (Photo courtesy of the journal Radiology).
Image: Axial nonenhanced CT image in a 62-year-old man demonstrates attenuation measurements of the liver and spleen. Image shows a diffuse fat accumulation in the liver, with a mean liver attenuation of 32.5 HU and a mean spleen attenuation of 46.2 HU (Photo courtesy of the Radiological Society of North America, and the journal Radiology).
Image: Axial nonenhanced CT image in a 62-year-old man demonstrates attenuation measurements of the liver and spleen. Image shows a diffuse fat accumulation in the liver, with a mean liver attenuation of 32.5 HU and a mean spleen attenuation of 46.2 HU (Photo courtesy of the Radiological Society of North America, and the journal Radiology).
Researchers using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) imaging have found a close correlation between high-risk coronary artery plaque and a common liver disease. The research revealed that a single CT scan can detect both conditions.

Earlier research has shown that CCTA can identify high-risk coronary artery plaque, or plaque prone to life-threatening ruptures. For the new study, researchers examined the association between high-risk plaque and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a disorder characterized by abnormal liver function that is not associated with excessive alcohol consumption. NAFLD is the most common liver disease, with an estimated prevalence of 20%–30% in the general population.

“As it is known that atherosclerosis is linked to inflammation, our next step was to look for an association of high-risk plaques with other systemic inflammatory conditions such as NAFLD,” said the study’s lead author, Stefan B. Puchner, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (both based in Boston, MA, USA) and the Medical University of Vienna (Austria). “Interestingly, both pathologies can be detected in a single CT examination.”

The researchers, who published their findings online November 4, 2014, in the journal Radiology, drew patients from a large trial focusing on the use of CCTA in people who had come to the emergency department with acute chest pain. The patients underwent both nonenhanced CT to evaluate coronary calcium, a marker of atherosclerosis, and contrast-enhanced CCTA. Readers assessed the CCTA images for signs of high-risk plaque.

Overall, 182 of the 445 patients in the study (40.9%) had CT evidence of NAFLD. High-risk plaque was seen in 59.3% of patients with NAFLD, compared to only 19% of those without NAFLD. The association between NAFLD and high-risk plaque persisted after adjusting for the extent and severity of coronary atherosclerosis and traditional risk factors.

The results suggest that high-risk plaque and NAFLD are both part of the same systemic disease process, the metabolic syndrome. “The clinical implications could include a wider assessment of NAFLD using the non-contrast cardiac CT scans that are commonly performed prior to the CTA,” he said. “Further, the additional assessment of NAFLD with CT could improve the risk stratification of patients with suspected coronary artery disease, as our results show that the presence of NAFLD is associated with high-risk coronary plaque independent of traditional risk factors and severity of coronary artery disease.”

The researchers plan to extend the study outside of the emergency department setting to see if the results apply to other categories of the general population. They also hope to learn more about why NAFLD is so prevalent among people with advanced high-risk coronary atherosclerosis. One prevailing theory is that both conditions are a consequence of systemic inflammation, an inflammatory state that affects multiple organs and can lead to deadly disorders.

“The aim will be to further investigate and understand, with the help of CCTA, the interplay between advanced atherosclerosis and NAFLD as part of a complex systemic inflammatory condition,” Dr. Puchner concluded.

Related Links:

Massachusetts General Hospital
Medical University of Vienna


Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
New
Ultrasound Software
UltraExtend NX
New
Silver Member
Mobile X-Ray Barrier
Lead Acrylic Mobile X-Ray Barriers
New
Brachytherapy Planning System
Oncentra Brachy

Print article

Channels

Nuclear Medicine

view channel
Image: The AI system uses scintigraphy imaging for early diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

AI System Automatically and Reliably Detects Cardiac Amyloidosis Using Scintigraphy Imaging

Cardiac amyloidosis, a condition characterized by the buildup of abnormal protein deposits (amyloids) in the heart muscle, severely affects heart function and can lead to heart failure or death without... Read more

General/Advanced Imaging

view channel
Image: The CIARTIC Move self-driving mobile C-arm has received FDA clearance (Photo courtesy of Siemens)

Self-Driving Mobile C-Arm Reduces Imaging Time during Surgery

Intraoperative imaging faces significant challenges due to staff shortages and the high demands placed on surgical teams in the operating room (OR). A common challenge during many OR procedures is the... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more

Industry News

view channel
Image: Samsung Medison CEO Mr. Yongkwan Kim and Bracco Imaging CEO Dr. Fulvio Renoldi Bracco endorsed a MoU agreement (Photo courtesy of Bracco Group)

Samsung and Bracco Enter Into New Diagnostic Ultrasound Technology Agreement

Samsung Medison (Seoul, South Korea) and Bracco Imaging (Milan, Italy) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to pioneer a new area for diagnostic ultrasound devices and contrast agents.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.