The Role of Coronary CT Angiography in the Evaluation of Dual Left Anterior Descending Artery Prevalence and Subtypes: A Retrospective Multicenter Study

Abstract

Background: The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the prevalence and features of dual left anterior descending artery (LAD) subtypes using coronary CT angiography (CCTA). Methods: A retrospective multicenter analysis of 2083 CCTA from December 2020 to November 2022 was conducted to search for the presence and morphological features of dual LAD. The two classifications used were the updated classification of Spindola-Franco and the Jariwala classification. Statistical tests were conducted to evaluate the prevalence of dual LADs among sexes and its association with angina in patients without significant coronary stenoses and/or associated cardiac anomalies. Results: Dual LAD was observed in 124 (5.96%) patients analyzed. According to the Spindola-Franco revisited classification, type I dual LAD was the most common (71/124, 57.26%). According to the Jariwala classification, all cases were group I. In the general population, there was a higher prevalence of dual LAD among females (7.3% females vs. 5.1% males; p value: 0.04). No statistically significant difference was found in the prevalence of angina in the dual LAD population compared to the no dual LAD population (2.1% vs. 1.5%; p value: 0.10). Conclusions: The acknowledgment and reporting of LAD duplication is helpful for an optimal management of coronary patients with this condition. Dual LAD was more frequent in the female population, mainly not related with angina. Myocardial bridge was more frequent in the dual LAD population than in the no dual LAD population.

The Role of the 18F-FDG PET/CT in the Management of Patients Suspected of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices’ Infection

“…Thus, prompt diagnosis is the crucial turning issue in conducting patients with CIEDI to guarantee them the best single-tailored diagnostic-therapeutic approach. Even if echocardiography is still the most used and reference imaging technique for CIEDI diagnosis, the use of multimodality imaging techniques is often strategic for optimal management of this complex clinical condition, as recently recommended in the 2020 International Consensus Document of the European Heart Rhythm Association, approved by many expert societies, and in the even more recently updated 2023 ESC Guidelines for the management of endocarditis [14][15][16][17].…”