Distribution of FFRCT in single obstructive coronary stenosis and predictors for major adverse cardiac events: a propensity score matching study

BACKGROUND: Fractional flow reserve derived from computed tomography (FFRCT) has been demonstrated to improve identification of lesion-specific ischemia significantly compared with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). It remains unclear whether the distribution of FFRCT values in obstructive stenosis between patients who received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or not in routine clinical practice, as well as its association with clinical outcome. This study aims to reveal the distribution of FFRCT value in patients with single obstructive coronary artery stenosis and explored the independent factors for predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACE). METHODS: This was a retrospective study of adults with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome undergoing FFRCT assessment by using CCTA data from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020. Propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to account for patient selection bias. The risk factors for predicting MACE were evaluated by a Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 655 patients with single obstructive (≥ 50%) stenosis shown on CCTA were enrolled and divided into PCI group (279 cases) and conservative group (376 cases) according to treatment strategy. The PSM cohort analysis demonstrated that the difference in history of unstable angina, Canadian Cardiovascular Society Class (CCSC) and FFRCT between PCI group (188 cases) and conservative group (315 cases) was statistically significant, with all P values < 0.05, while the median follow-up time between them was not statistically significant (24 months vs. 22.5 months, P = 0.912). The incidence of MACE in PCI group and conservative group were 14.9% (28/188) and 23.5% (74/315) respectively, P = 0.020. Multivariate analysis of Cox proportional hazards regression revealed that history of unstable angina (adjusted odds ratio (adjOR), 3.165; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.087–4.800; P < 0.001), FFRCT ≤ 0.8 (OR, 1.632;95% CI 1.095–2.431; P = 0.016), and PCI therapy (OR 0.481; 95% CI 0.305–0.758) were the independent factors for MACE. CONCLUSIONS: History of unstable angina and FFRCT value of ≤ 0.8 were the independent risk factors for MACE, while PCI therapy was the independent protective factor for MACE.