Development of a nomogram based on pericoronary adipose tissue histogram parameters to differentially diagnose acute coronary syndrome

Clin Imaging. 2023 Oct:102:78-85. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2023.08.005. Epub 2023 Aug 19.

Abstract

Purpose: To develop a nomogram based on pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) histogram parameters to identify patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Materials and methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 114 and 383 eligible patients with ACS and stable coronary artery disease (CAD), respectively, and divided them into training and testing cohorts in a 7:3 ratio. A blinded radiologist obtained PCAT histogram parameters from the right coronary artery's proximal segment using fully automated software and compared clinical characteristics and PCAT histogram parameters between the two patient groups. The binary logistic regression included significant parameters (P < 0.05), and a nomogram was constructed.

Results: In both the training and testing cohorts, the mean, 10th percentile, 90th percentile, median, and minimum values of PCAT were higher, and the interquartile range, skewness, and variance values of PCAT were lower in patients with ACS than in those with stable CAD (P ≤ 0.001). The mean (OR = 4.007), median (OR = 0.576), minimum (OR = 0.893), skewness (OR = 85,158.806) and variance (OR = 1.013) values of PCAT were independent risk factors for ACS and stable CAD in the training cohort. The nomogram was constructed using the five variables mentioned above with area under the curve values of 0.903 and 0.897, respectively, while the calibration and decision curves showed the nomogram's good clinical efficacy for the training and testing cohorts.

Conclusions: The constructed nomogram had good discrimination and accuracy and can be a noninvasive tool to intuitively and individually distinguish between ACS and stable CAD.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; Nomogram; Pericoronary adipose tissue; Stable coronary artery disease.

MeSH terms

  • Acute Coronary Syndrome* / diagnostic imaging
  • Adipose Tissue / diagnostic imaging
  • Coronary Artery Disease* / diagnostic imaging
  • Humans
  • Nomograms
  • Retrospective Studies