Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, significantly influenced by modifiable risk factors, particularly hypercholesterolemia. Despite the availability of effective lipid-reducing drugs, achieving the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target levels remains a significant challenge in clinical practice, contributing to persistently high rates of cardiovascular events. The intEgrated multidiscipliNary pathway for large-scale maNagement of dyslipidemiA in high-risk patients (ENNA) Project was designed to address the alarming rates of suboptimal lipid management in patients at great and very great risk in the province of Enna, Sicily.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Coronary flow capacity (CFC) is a measure that integrates hyperemic myocardial blood flow and myocardial flow reserve to quantify the pathophysiological impact of coronary artery disease on vasodilator capacity. We assessed the prognostic value of CFC derived from Rb positron emission tomography/computed tomography in patients with suspected coronary artery disease and normal myocardial perfusion imaging.
Methods: We studied 1967 patients with suspected coronary artery disease and normal myocardial perfusion at the semiquantitative analysis of stress/rest cardiac Rb positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging.
Whole-body positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) imaging performed for oncological purposes may provide additional parameters such as the coronary artery calcium (CAC) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume with cost-effective prognostic information in asymptomatic people beyond traditional cardiovascular risk factors. We evaluated the feasibility of measuring the CAC score and EAT volume in cancer patients without known coronary artery disease (CAD) referred to whole-body F-FDG PET-CT imaging, regardless of the main clinical problem. We also investigated the potential relationships between traditional cardiovascular risk factors and CAC with EAT volume.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging
February 2025
Introduction: Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) are non-invasive nuclear medicine techniques that can identify areas of abnormal myocardial perfusion. We assessed the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing SPECT or PET stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Based on significant risk factors associated with an abnormal MPI, we developed a nomogram for each cohort as a pretest that would be helpful in decision-making for clinicians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF