scholarly journals Impact of physiologically diffuse versus focal pattern of coronary disease on quantitative flow reserve diagnostic accuracy

Author(s):  
Roberto Scarsini ◽  
Simone Fezzi ◽  
Gabriele Pesarini ◽  
Paolo Alberto Del Sole ◽  
Gabriele Venturi ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_G) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Scarsini ◽  
Simone Fezzi ◽  
Gabriele Pesarini ◽  
Paolo Alberto Del Sole ◽  
Concetta Mammone ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Fractional flow reserve (FFR) and instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) disagree in ∼20% of intermediate coronary lesions. The physiological pattern of disease has a significant influence on FFR-iFR discordance. However, if the pattern of disease (diffuse vs. focal) impacts on QFR accuracy and on its agreement with FFR and iFR remains unknown. Methods and results 194 unselected patients with 224 intermediate coronary lesions were investigated with iFR, FFR and QFR. The physiological pattern of disease was independently assessed with iFR Scout pullback in all the cases by two expert interventional cardiologists who were blinded to the clinical presentation, patient characteristics, coronary angiography and QFR results. A predominantly physiologically focal pattern was observed in 81 (36.2%) lesions, whereas a predominantly physiologically diffuse was observed in 143 (63.8%) cases. QFR demonstrated a significant correlation (r = 0.581, P < 0.001) and a substantial agreement with iFR, both in diffuse (AUC = 0.798) and in focal (AUC = 0.812) pattern of disease. Disagreement between QFR and iFR was observed in 51 (22.8%) lesions, consisting of iFR+/QFR − (64.7%) and iFR−/QFR + (35.3%). Notably, the physiological pattern of disease was the only variable significantly associated with iFR/QFR disagreement. In particular, coronary lesions with iFR+/QFR− demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of predominantly physiologically diffuse pattern of disease compared with the subgroup with iFR−/QFR + [81.3% (26 of 32) vs. 55.6% (10 of 18); P = 0.012]. QFR virtual pullback demonstrated an excellent agreement (83.9%) with iFR Scout pullback in classifying the physiological pattern of disease. Conclusions QFR has a good diagnostic accuracy in assessing myocardial ischemia independently of the pattern of coronary disease. However, the physiological pattern of disease has an influence on the QFR/IFR disagreement, which occurs in ∼20% of the cases. The QFR virtual pullback correctly defined the physiological pattern of disease in the majority of the cases using the iFR pullback as reference.


Open Heart ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. e001179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinori Kanno ◽  
Masahiro Hoshino ◽  
Rikuta Hamaya ◽  
Tomoyo Sugiyama ◽  
Yoshihisa Kanaji ◽  
...  

BackgroundMeasurement of the contrast-flow quantitative flow ratio (cQFR) is a novel method for rapid computational estimation of fractional flow reserve (FFR). Discordance between FFR and cQFR has not been completely characterised.MethodsWe performed a post-hoc analysis of 504 vessels with angiographically intermediate stenosis in 504 patients who underwent measurement of FFR, coronary flow reserve (CFR), the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) and Duke jeopardy score.ResultsIn total, 396 (78.6%) and 108 (21.4%) lesions showed concordant and discordant FFR and cQFR functional classifications, respectively. Among lesions with a reduced FFR (FFR+), those with a preserved cQFR (cQFR−) showed significantly lower IMR, shorter mean transit time (Tmn), shorter lesion length (all, p<0.01) and similar CFR and Duke jeopardy scores compared with lesions showing a reduced cQFR (cQFR+). Furthermore, lesions with FFR+ and cQFR− had significantly lower IMR and shorter Tmn compared with lesions showing a preserved FFR (FFR−) and cQFR+. Of note, in cQFR+ lesions, higher IMR lesions were associated with decreased diagnostic accuracy (high-IMR; 63.0% and low-IMR; 75.8%, p<0.01). In contrast, in cQFR− lesions, lower IMR lesions was associated with decreased diagnostic accuracy (high-IMR group; 96.8% and low-IMR group; 80.0%, p<0.01). Notably, in total, 31 territories (6.2%; ‘jump out’ group) had an FFR above the upper limit of the grey zone (>0.80) and a cQFR below the lower limit (≤0.75). In contrast, five territories (1.0%; ‘jump in’ group) exhibited opposite results (FFR of ≤0.75 and cQFR of >0.80). The ‘jump out’ territories showed significantly higher IMR values than ‘jump in’ territories (p<0.01).ConclusionsFFR− with cQFR+ is associated with increased microvascular resistance, and FFR+ with cQFR− showed preservation of microvascular function with high coronary flow. Microvascular function affected diagnostic performance of cQFR in relation to functional stenosis significance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (56) ◽  
pp. 1-230
Author(s):  
Ana Duarte ◽  
Alexis Llewellyn ◽  
Ruth Walker ◽  
Laetitia Schmitt ◽  
Kath Wright ◽  
...  

Background QAngio® XA 3D/QFR® (three-dimensional/quantitative flow ratio) imaging software (Medis Medical Imaging Systems BV, Leiden, the Netherlands) and CAAS® vFFR® (vessel fractional flow reserve) imaging software (Pie Medical Imaging BV, Maastricht, the Netherlands) are non-invasive technologies to assess the functional significance of coronary stenoses, which can be alternatives to invasive fractional flow reserve assessment. Objectives The objectives were to determine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of QAngio XA 3D/QFR and CAAS vFFR. Methods We performed a systematic review of all evidence on QAngio XA 3D/QFR and CAAS vFFR, including diagnostic accuracy, clinical effectiveness, implementation and economic analyses. We searched MEDLINE and other databases to January 2020 for studies where either technology was used and compared with fractional flow reserve in patients with intermediate stenosis. The risk of bias was assessed with quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies. Meta-analyses of diagnostic accuracy were performed. Clinical and implementation outcomes were synthesised narratively. A simulation study investigated the clinical impact of using QAngio XA 3D/QFR. We developed a de novo decision-analytic model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of QAngio XA 3D/QFR and CAAS vFFR relative to invasive fractional flow reserve or invasive coronary angiography alone. Scenario analyses were undertaken to explore the robustness of the results to variation in the sources of data used to populate the model and alternative assumptions. Results Thirty-nine studies (5440 patients) of QAngio XA 3D/QFR and three studies (500 patients) of CAAS vFFR were included. QAngio XA 3D/QFR had good diagnostic accuracy to predict functionally significant fractional flow reserve (≤ 0.80 cut-off point); contrast-flow quantitative flow ratio had a sensitivity of 85% (95% confidence interval 78% to 90%) and a specificity of 91% (95% confidence interval 85% to 95%). A total of 95% of quantitative flow ratio measurements were within 0.14 of the fractional flow reserve. Data on the diagnostic accuracy of CAAS vFFR were limited and a full meta-analysis was not feasible. There were very few data on clinical and implementation outcomes. The simulation found that quantitative flow ratio slightly increased the revascularisation rate when compared with fractional flow reserve, from 40.2% to 42.0%. Quantitative flow ratio and fractional flow reserve resulted in similar numbers of subsequent coronary events. The base-case cost-effectiveness results showed that the test strategy with the highest net benefit was invasive coronary angiography with confirmatory fractional flow reserve. The next best strategies were QAngio XA 3D/QFR and CAAS vFFR (without fractional flow reserve). However, the difference in net benefit between this best strategy and the next best was small, ranging from 0.007 to 0.012 quality-adjusted life-years (or equivalently £140–240) per patient diagnosed at a cost-effectiveness threshold of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year. Limitations Diagnostic accuracy evidence on CAAS vFFR, and evidence on the clinical impact of QAngio XA 3D/QFR, were limited. Conclusions Quantitative flow ratio as measured by QAngio XA 3D/QFR has good agreement and diagnostic accuracy compared with fractional flow reserve and is preferable to standard invasive coronary angiography alone. It appears to have very similar cost-effectiveness to fractional flow reserve and, therefore, pending further evidence on general clinical benefits and specific subgroups, could be a reasonable alternative. The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of CAAS vFFR are uncertain. Randomised controlled trial evidence evaluating the effect of quantitative flow ratio on clinical and patient-centred outcomes is needed. Future work Studies are required to assess the diagnostic accuracy and clinical feasibility of CAAS vFFR. Large ongoing randomised trials will hopefully inform the clinical value of QAngio XA 3D/QFR. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019154575. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Evidence Synthesis programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 25, No. 56. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.


Patients suspected of having epicardial coronary disease are often investigated with noninvasive myocardial ischemia tests to establish a diagnosis and guide management. However, the relationship between myocardial ischemia and coronary stenoses is affected by multiple factors, and there is marked biological variation between patients. The ischemic cascade represents the temporal sequence of pathophysiological events that occur after interruption of myocardial oxygen delivery. The earliest part of the cascade is examined via perfusion imaging, and fractional flow reserve (FFR) is a corresponding index which is specific to the coronary artery. Whereas FFR has come to be regarded a clinical reference standard against which other newer invasive and noninvasive tests are validated, the diagnostic FFR threshold for detecting ischemia was established against a combination of noninvasive ischemia tests that assessed different stages of the ischemic cascade. Moreover, the validity of invasive pressure-derived indices of stenosis severity are contingent on the assumption that pressure is proportional to flow if microvascular resistance is constant, a condition induced by pharmacological intervention or by examining specific segments of the cardiac cycle. Furthermore, myocardial perfusion reserve depends on dynamic modulation of microvascular resistance, and dysfunction of the microvasculature can lead to ischemia even in the absence of epicardial coronary disease.


Author(s):  
Aslihan Erbay ◽  
Lisa Penzel ◽  
Youssef S. Abdelwahed ◽  
Jens Klotsche ◽  
Anne-Sophie Schatz ◽  
...  

AbstractSeveral studies have demonstrated the feasibility and safety of hemodynamic assessment of non-culprit coronary arteries in setting of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) using fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements. Quantitative flow ratio (QFR), recently introduced as angiography-based fast FFR computation, has been validated with good agreement and diagnostic performance with FFR in chronic coronary syndromes. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and diagnostic reliability of QFR assessment during primary PCI. A total of 321 patients with ACS and multivessel disease, who underwent primary PCI and were planned for staged PCI of at least one non-culprit lesion were enrolled in the analysis. Within this patient cohort, serial post-hoc QFR analyses of 513 non-culprit vessels were performed. The median time interval between primary and staged PCI was 49 [42–58] days. QFR in non-culprit coronary arteries did not change between acute and staged measurements (0.86 vs 0.87, p = 0.114), with strong correlation (r = 0.94, p ≤ 0.001) and good agreement (mean difference -0.008, 95%CI -0.013–0.003) between measurements. Importantly, QFR as assessed at index procedure had sensitivity of 95.02%, specificity of 93.59% and diagnostic accuracy of 94.15% in prediction of QFR ≤ 0.80 at the time of staged PCI. The present study for the first time confirmed the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of non-culprit coronary artery QFR during index procedure for ACS. These results support QFR as valuable tool in patients with ACS to detect further hemodynamic relevant lesions with excellent diagnostic performance and therefore to guide further revascularisation therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Peper ◽  
R.W Van Hamersvelt ◽  
B.J.M.W Rensing ◽  
J.P Van Kuijk ◽  
M Voskuil ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Fractional flow reserve (FFR) adoption persists low mainly due to procedural and operator related factors as well as costs. An alternative for FFR, quantitative flow ratio (QFR) achieves a high accuracy mainly outside the intermediate zone without the need for hyperemia and wire-use. Currently, no outcome trials assess the role of QFR in the guidance of revascularization. Therefore, we evaluate a QFR-FFR hybrid strategy in which FFR is measured inside of the intermediate zone. Methods This retrospective multi-center study included consecutive patients who underwent both invasive coronary angiography and FFR in the participating centers. QFR was calculated for all vessels in which FFR was measured. Diagnostic performance of QFR was assessed using an FFR cut-off of 0.80 as reference standard. The QFR-FFR hybrid approach was modeled using the intermediate zone of 0.77 to 0.87 assuming that lesions within the intermediate zone follow the FFR binary cutoff. Results In total, 381 vessels in 289 patients were analyzed. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy on a per vessel-based analysis were 84.6%, 86.3% and 85.6% for QFR and 91.1%, 95.3% and 93.4% for the QFR-FFR hybrid approach. The diagnostic accuracy of QFR-FFR hybrid strategy with invasive FFR measurement is 93.4% and results in a FFR reduction of 56.7%. Conclusion QFR has a good correlation and agreement with invasive FFR and a high diagnostic accuracy. A hybrid QFR-FFR approach could extend the use of QFR and reduces the proportion of invasive FFR-measurements needed while maintaining a high accuracy. Hybrid QFR-FFR strategy Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


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