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The value of myocardial perfusion imaging in screening coronary artery disease before kidney transplantation
Author(s) -
Helve Salla,
Nieminen Tuomo,
Helanterä Ilkka,
Finne Patrik,
Rajala Helena,
Sinisalo Juha,
Laine Mika
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
clinical transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1399-0012
pISSN - 0902-0063
DOI - 10.1111/ctr.13894
Subject(s) - medicine , mace , coronary artery disease , transplantation , spect imaging , cardiology , kidney transplantation , myocardial perfusion imaging , revascularization , perfusion , kidney disease , radiology , nuclear medicine , myocardial infarction , percutaneous coronary intervention
The value of myocardial single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in pre‐transplant evaluation of kidney transplant recipients is controversial. We assessed whether myocardial SPECT predicts major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and determined whether SPECT findings affected transplant recipients' medical and invasive treatment. We analyzed 301 patients referred for myocardial SPECT before kidney transplantation and combined the results with information from patient files and the Transplantation Registry. During the median follow‐up time of 96 months (IQR 70.75‐118.25 months), the incidence of MACE was higher in patients (n = 37) with severely abnormal SPECT (>10% reversible perfusion defect) than in patients (n = 35) with mildly abnormal or normal SPECT (51.4%, 29.4%, and 27.0%, respectively, P = .011). Severely abnormal SPECT findings predicted long‐term MACE in a univariable analysis but not after adjusting for other risk factors. Following SPECT, 29 patients (9.6%) underwent coronary angiography and 14 (4.6%) were revascularized. New antithrombotic or statin medication was prescribed to 7.3% of patients with ischemia in SPECT. Kidney transplantation patients are at high long‐term risk of MACE even with normal preoperative myocardial SPECT. Abnormal SPECT did not predict MACE when adjusted for other risk factors. Minority of the patients underwent coronary revascularization or had changes in preventive medication before transplantation.