Photo Credit: Nutjaree Yomjun

Computed tomography fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) improves assessment of vessel blockages and reduces the number of patients with stenosis referred for invasive revascularization procedures, according to a study published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging. Mangun K. Randhawa, MD, and colleagues assessed 3-month clinical outcomes among 284 patients with significant stenosis who underwent CT-FFR analysis of dual-source CT scans without heart rate control. The researchers found that 56.3% of patients had a negative result (CT-FFR>0.80), 30.9% had a clearly positive result (CT-FFR≤0.75), and 12.6% had a borderline result (CT-FFR=0.76-0.80). Among patients with significant stenosis at coronary CT angiography, patients who underwent CT-FFR analysis had lower rates of invasive coronary angiography (74.5% vs 25.5%) and percutaneous coronary intervention (78.9% vs 21.1%). The authors concluded that CT-FFR helps clear up ambiguity in which patients are most likely to benefit from revascularization procedures.