Non-invasive CT FFR technique with AI

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease, and it is the leading cause of death worldwide in both men and women. CAD happens when the coronary arteries become hardened and narrowed, which is due to the buildup of cholesterol-containing deposits (plaque) on the inner vessel wall. As the plaque grows, less blood can flow through the arteries due to the vessel narrowing. Decreased blood flow can lead to chest pain (angina), shortness of breath or even a heart attack.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR), which measures the blood flow reduction caused by vessel narrowing, is accepted as the reference standard for assessing the functional significance of the stenotic lesions ¹. Multiple randomized trials have demonstrated that FFR has excellent diagnostic value in identifying functional significant lesions and guiding coronary revascularization procedures. However, FFR is measured invasively through a guide wire-based cardiac catheter procedure in the catheterization lab. It is not suitable for myocardial ischemia screening in stable patients with CAD. Current guidelines recommend assessing myocardial ischemia of stable patients with CAD through non-invasive functional testing before considering invasive coronary angiography (ICA) or conducting myocardial revascularization ^1,2.

1. Montalescot G, Sechtem U, Achenbach S, et al. 2013 ESC guidelines on the management of stable coronary artery disease: the Task Force on the management of stable coronary artery disease of the European Society of Cardiology. Eur Heart J 2013;34:2949–3003.
2. Neumann, F, Sousa-Uva, M, Ahlsson, A, et al. 2018 ESC/EACTS Guidelines on myocardial revascularization. Eur Heart J 2018;40:87-165.