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Atherosclerotic plaque burden evaluated from neck to groin: effect of gender and cardiovascular risk factors

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Abstract

We explored the impact of gender and cardiovascular risk factors (RF) in the distribution and burden of coronary and extra-coronary atherosclerotic plaques among patients undergoing ECG-gated thoracoabdominal computed tomography angiography (CTA) from the supra-aortic trunks to the femoral arteries. We included a consecutive cohort of patients who underwent ECG-gated thoracoabdominal aortic CTA from the supra-aortic trunks to the pubic symphysis. We evaluated the number of coronary segments with plaques [segment-involvement score (SIS)]; and the extra-coronary atherosclerotic plaque burden, comprising the aorta and supra-aortic trunks, iliofemoral arteries, and visceral arteries (extra-coronary SS). A total of 3400 vascular segments were evaluated in 100 patients (mean age 67.0 ± 12.6 years, 66% male). Seventy-two (72%) patients had evidence of atherosclerosis in the coronary tree (coronary SIS ≥ 1), of which 32% was extensive (coronary SIS > 5). Males had a significantly higher prevalence of coronary SIS ≥ 1 [53 (80%), vs. 19 (56%), p = 0.018], and coronary SIS > 5 [24 (36%) vs. 8 (24%), p = 0.035] than females. Extra-coronary SS was similar between genders (males 10.2 ± 5.8 vs. females 9.7 ± 5.4, p = 0.70), irrespective of the location along the different vascular beds. The number of coronary RF was significantly related to the coronary SIS (p = 0.038), and hypertension and diabetes were consistently related to coronary and extra-coronary plaque burden. In the present study involving analysis of multiple vascular beds from the supra-aortic trunks to the femoral arteries, we identified significant sex-related differences in coronary plaque burden, whereas extra-coronary plaque burden was similar between genders irrespective of the vascular bed assessed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiovascular Imaging, Diagnóstico Maipú, Av Maipú 1668, B1602ABQ, Vicente López, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Gaston A. Rodriguez-Granillo, Roxana Campisi, Exequiel Reynoso, Carlos Capunay & Patricia Carrascosa

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  1. Gaston A. Rodriguez-Granillo
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  2. Roxana Campisi
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  3. Exequiel Reynoso
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  4. Carlos Capunay
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  5. Patricia Carrascosa
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Correspondence to Gaston A. Rodriguez-Granillo.

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Conflict of interest

We declare that Dr. Patricia Carrascosa is consultant of GE Healthcare. There are no competing interests related to the manuscript for any of the other authors.

Ethical approval

The protocol was approved by the institutional ethics committee and all studies have been performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Rodriguez-Granillo, G.A., Campisi, R., Reynoso, E. et al. Atherosclerotic plaque burden evaluated from neck to groin: effect of gender and cardiovascular risk factors. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 35, 907–915 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-018-1512-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-018-1512-0

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