Coronary Artery Disease: Kass M

Chow BJ, Larose E, Bilodeau S, Ellins ML, Galiwango P, Kass M, Sheth T, Jassal DS, Kirkpatrick ID, Mancini GB, Mayo J, Abraham A, White J. · Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ontario, Canada. · Can J Cardiol. · Pubmed #19279980 links to  free full text

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Kass M, Allan R, Haddad H. · Division of Cardiology, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. · Curr Opin Cardiol. · Pubmed #17284994 No free full text.

Abstract: PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Graft coronary artery disease is the leading cardiac cause of death in patients who have undergone cardiac transplantation. Due to denervation, classic symptoms of angina are not reliable. Many transplant centers have a protocol of routine annual surveillance cardiac angiography because treatment options are limited, especially with advanced disease. Angiography is an assessment of the arterial lumen, however, and can miss nonfocal disease. This paper reviews invasive and noninvasive diagnostic tools for graft coronary artery disease. Intravascular ultrasound is the most sensitive, but the cost and lack of widespread expertise make it unpopular. Noninvasive techniques have been studied. An ideal test would be sufficiently sensitive to detect disease and allow for prognostic information. Dobutamine echocardiography is the most sensitive noninvasive test but can have a high false-positive rate. It is also not universally available. Exercise nuclear imaging is specific and can be used as a confirmatory test in patients with positive dobutamine echocardiograms. RECENT FINDINGS: Computed tomographic imaging and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging are exciting new modalities but require further study. SUMMARY: There is no test sensitive and specific enough yet that can be confidently used to replace coronary angiography.

Kass M, Haddad H. · University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Division of Cardiology, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. · Curr Opin Cardiol. · Pubmed #16470150 No free full text.

Abstract: PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cardiac transplantation is a recognized therapy for end-stage heart failure. Graft coronary artery disease is a chief determinant of long-term survival following cardiac transplantation. There are multiple purported etiologies for graft coronary artery disease including both immunologic and nonimmunologic factors. Immunologic factors include human leukocyte antigen mismatching, cytokine production, and activation of the cellular immune system. Nonimmunologic factors include diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cytomegalovirus infection, just to name a few. There are also donor and recipient factors including age, prior coronary artery disease in the donor heart, and mode of donor brain death. RECENT FINDINGS: The diagnosis of graft coronary artery disease is especially difficult, partially due to the de-innervated allograft, as well as to its inherent predilection to affect the medium-sized and smaller arteries in a concentric and diffuse nature. Conventional angiography can overlook this condition because of the lack of eccentric plaques in larger epicardial arteries. Intravascular ultrasonography, by contrast, is more sensitive in detecting graft coronary artery disease but is unable to visualize the entire arterial system. Treatment is challenging and often unrewarding, leading to re-transplantation. Prevention is therefore ideal and involves protection against endothelial injury before and during transplantation as well as after transplantation, with decreased ischemic time, aggressive attention to early rejection, risk factor modification, and close follow-up. SUMMARY: This review will look at the pathophysiology of graft coronary artery disease, current diagnostic and therapeutic choices, as well as existing and future directions.