Coronary Artery Calcium Score Improves the Prediction of Occult Coronary Artery Stenosis in Ischemic Stroke Patients [Stroke]

BackgroundCoronary heart disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in stroke patients. The coronary artery calcium score (CACS) has emerged as a robust and noninvasive predictor of coronary events. We assessed the predictive ability of CACS to identify stroke patients with severe (≥50%) occult coronary artery stenosis in a stroke/transient ischemic attack population, in addition to the PRECORIS score, based on Framingham Risk Score and presence of cervicocephalic artery stenosis, which was derived and validated for that purpose.Methods and ResultsWe enrolled consecutive patients aged 45 to 75 years referred to our stroke unit with noncardioembolic ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack, and no prior history of coronary disease. The presence of coronary stenosis was assessed with 64‐section computed tomography coronary angiography, and all patients had a detailed etiological work‐up. CACS was determined from computed tomography measurement using the Agatson score. The predictive value of CACS was assessed by logistic regression and reclassification method. Among 300 patients included in the study, 274 had computed tomography coronary angiography. Fifty patients (18%) had at least 1 coronary artery stenosis ≥50%. In multivariable analysis, after adjustment for the PRECORIS score, CACS was strongly associated with the presence of occult coronary artery stenosis (odds ratio=14.8 [1.8–120.3] for CACS [1–100] and 70.9 [8.9–562.0] for CACS>100). ...

Source: JAHA:Journal of the American Heart Association - October 30, 2016 Category: Cardiology Authors: Beigneux, Y., Sablayrolles, J.-L., Varenne, O., Mas, J.-L., Calvet, D. Tags: Computerized Tomography (CT), Ischemic Stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), Atherosclerosis, Coronary Artery Disease Original Research Source Type: research