Effect of simultaneous intracoronary guidewires on the predictive accuracy of functional parameters of coronary lesion severity

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2007 May;292(5):H2349-55. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.01042.2006. Epub 2007 Jan 12.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of a second guidewire on the diagnostic accuracy of functional parameters of coronary lesion severity. Sixty-five patients with intermediate coronary lesions underwent myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. Fractional flow reserve (FFR), coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR), and hyperemic stenosis resistance (HSR) index (HSR = stenosis pressure gradient / velocity) were determined in 77 lesions. Distal pressure and velocity were acquired simultaneously (dual wire) and sequentially (single wire) with two sensor-equipped guidewires. Overall, functional parameters deteriorated from single- to dual-wire assessment. In patients without ischemia, the good diagnostic performance of FFR, CFVR, and HSR deteriorated significantly (P < 0.001) when assessed by dual wires, with an increase in the number of false-positive results. This trend was more pronounced for HSR, since the presence of a second wire reduced maximal velocity and increased the pressure gradient. The presence of two guidewires, especially across a myocardial perfusion scintigraphy-induced nonsignificant lesion, is associated with overestimation of the hemodynamically assessed lesion severity and, therefore, is likely to have a major impact on clinical decision making. This underscores the advantage of a dual-sensor-equipped guidewire for the evaluation of stenosis severity by combined pressure and velocity measurements.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cardiac Catheterization / methods*
  • Coronary Circulation*
  • Coronary Stenosis / classification
  • Coronary Stenosis / diagnosis*
  • Coronary Stenosis / physiopathology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Severity of Illness Index*
  • Vascular Resistance