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Whole-body MR detects atherosclerosis in low-risk patients
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The use of whole-body MR angiography determined that many patients considered at low to intermediate risk for CVD have atherosclerosis.
In the study of 1,513 participants (median age, 53 years; 38% men) with 10-year CVD risk less than 20%, nearly half had at least one stenotic vessel, and more than one-quarter had at least two, researchers reported.
“This is surprising, given that the study group was made up of asymptomatic individuals without diabetes who had low to intermediate risk of future cardiovascular events by standard risk factor assessment,” Graeme Houston, MD, from the University of Dundee, Scotland, said in a press release.
The participants, enrolled between June 2008 and February 2013, underwent whole-body MR angiography at 3 T. Each participant had 31 arterial segments scored for stenosis via a standardized atheroma score. Technical success was 99.4%.
Of the 46,601 interpretable segments, 5% were stenotic; 3.5% had less than 50% stenosis and 1% had 50% or greater stenosis, according to the researchers.
At least one stenotic vessel was found in 49.4% of participants, whereas at least two stenotic vessels were found in 27% of the cohort, Houston and colleagues wrote.
The researchers found that standardized atheroma score correlated with age (beta = 3.4; 95% CI, 2.61-4.2), heart rate (beta = 1.23; 95% CI, 0.51-1.95), systolic BP (beta = 0.02; 95% CI, 0.01-0.03), smoking status (beta = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.44-1.15) and socioeconomic status (beta = –0.06; 95% CI, –0.1 to –0.02; P < .01 for all).
“The results confirm the feasibility for MR [angiography] as an imaging method for detecting early atherosclerotic disease in individuals at low to intermediate risk of cardiovascular events,” Houston said in the release. “This approach could stratify individuals for the presence of disease burden, which could inform further preventive therapy in the future.” – by Erik Swain
Disclosures: Houston reports he received a grant from Guerbet. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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