Increased renal cortical stiffness is associated with coronary artery disease severity in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Atherosclerosis is the primary etiological factor associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Kidneys have a highly arterial vascular structure and are therefore commonly affected by atherosclerosis, including those affecting the coronary arteries. Renal shear wave elastography (SWE) is an ultrasonographic method, which provides reliable information regarding the condition of the renal parenchyma. We investigated the relationship between SWE findings and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis. We calculated the following: the renal cortical stiffness (rCS) evaluated via SWE, the renal resistive index, the renal pulsatility index, the acceleration time, and the mean Syntax score (SS). Patients with a mean SS <12 were categorized into a low-risk (LR) and those with a mean SS ≥12 were categorized into the high-risk (HR) group. Our study included 132 patients—76 in the LR and 56 in the HR group. Creatinine, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and rCS were significantly higher, but the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was significantly lower in the HR group. The Hs-CRP (odds ratio [OR] 1.220), GFR (OR 0.967), and rCS (OR 1.316) were observed to be independent predictors for the HR group. The cutoff value of rCS using receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was 4.43 for the prediction of HR patients and showed 60.7% sensitivity and 57.9% specificity (area under the curve 0.642). SWE which shows renal parenchymal injury and atherosclerosis in renal vessels may give an idea about the severity of coronary atherosclerosis.