Does the Routine Availability of CT-Derived FFR Influence Management of Patients With Stable Chest Pain Compared to CT Angiography Alone?: The FFR RIPCORD Study.

Objectives: This study sought to determine the effect of adding computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) data to computed tomography angiographic (CTA) data alone for assessment of lesion severity and patient management in 200 patients with chest pain.

Background: Invasive and noninvasive tests used in the assessment of patients with angina all have disadvantages. The ideal screening test for patients presenting for the first time with chest pain would describe both coronary anatomy and the presence of ischemia and would be readily accessible, low cost, and noninvasive.

Methods: Two hundred patients with stable chest pain underwent CTA for clinical reasons, and FFR was calculated. Three experienced interventional cardiologists assessed the CTA result for each patient and by consensus developed a management plan (optimal medical therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or more information required). FFR data for each vessel were then revealed, and the interventional cardiologists made a second plan by consensus, using the same 4 options. The primary endpoint for the study was the difference between the 2 strategies.

Results: Overall, after disclosure of FFR data there was a change in the allocated management category on the basis of CTA alone in 72 cases (36%). This difference is explained by a discordance between the CTA- and FFR-derived assessments of lesion severity. For example, FFR was >0.80 in 13 of 44 vessels (29.5%) graded as having a stenosis >90%. In contrast, FFR was ≤0.80 in 17 of 366 vessels (4.6%) graded as having stenosis ≤50%.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates proof of concept that the availability of FFR results has a substantial effect on the labeling of significant coronary artery disease and therefore on the management of patients compared to CTA alone. Further studies are needed to determine whether FFR has potential as a noninvasive diagnostic and management screening tool for patients with stable chest pain.