Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39014089›Full record

ArticleEuropean radiology2025

Temporal changes in CT-derived fractional flow reserve in patients after heart transplantation.

Simran P Sharma, Javier Sanz, Alexander Hirsch, Richa Patel, Alina A Constantinescu, Maya Barghash, Donna M Mancini, Jasper J Brugts, Kadir Caliskan, Yannick J H J Taverne and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European radiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Non-invasive imaging in heart transplant recipients: state of art and future direction.European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Simran P SharmaDepartment of Cardiology, Thorax Centre, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Javier SanzCardiovascular Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Alexander HirschDepartment of Cardiology, Thorax Centre, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Richa PatelDepartment of Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Alina A ConstantinescuDepartment of Cardiology, Thorax Centre, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Maya BarghashCardiovascular Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Donna M ManciniCardiovascular Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Jasper J BrugtsDepartment of Cardiology, Thorax Centre, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Kadir CaliskanDepartment of Cardiology, Thorax Centre, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Yannick J H J TaverneErasmus MC Transplant Institute, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Olivier C Manintveld *Department of Cardiology, Thorax Centre, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Ricardo P J Budde *Department of Cardiology, Thorax Centre, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. r.budde@erasmusmc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3792-615X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdding functional information by CT-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRct) to coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and assessing its temporal change may provide insight into the natural history and physiopathology of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in heart transplantation (HTx) patients. We assessed FFRct changes as well as CAV progression over a 2-year period in HTx patients undergoing serial CT imaging.

methodsHTx patients from Erasmus MC and Mount Sinai Hospital, who had consecutive CCTAs 2 years apart were evaluated. FFRct analysis was performed for both scans. FFRct values at the most distal point in the left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex (LCX), and right coronary artery (RCA) were measured after precisely matching the anatomical locations in both analyses. Also, the number of anatomical coronary stenoses of > 30% was scored.

resultsIn total, 106 patients (median age 57 [interquartile range 47-67] years, 67% male) at 9 [6-13] years after HTx at the time of the baseline CCTA were included. Median distal FFRct values significantly decreased from baseline to follow-up for the LAD from 0.85 [0.79-0.90] to 0.84 [0.76-0.90] (p = 0.001), LCX from 0.92 [0.88-0.96] to 0.91 [0.85-0.95] (p = 0.009), and RCA from 0.92 [0.86-0.95] to 0.90 [0.86-0.94] (p = 0.004). The number of focal anatomical stenoses of > 30% increased from a median of 1 [0-2] at baseline to 2 [0-3] at follow-up (p = 0.009).

conclusionsThe distal coronary FFRct values in post-HTX patients in each of the three major coronary arteries decreased, and the number of focal coronary stenoses increased over a 2-year period. Temporal FFRct change rate may become an additional parameter in the follow-up of HTx patients, but more research is needed to elucidate its role. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: CT-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRct) is important post-heart transplant because of additional information on coronary CT angiography for cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) detection. The decrease and degree of reduction in distal FFRct value may indicate progression in anatomic CAV burden. KEY POINTS: CT-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRct) is important for monitoring cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in heart transplant patients. Over time, transplant patients showed a decrease in distal FFRct and an increase in coronary stenoses. Temporal changes in FFRct could be crucial for transplant follow-up, aiding in CAV detection.

Indexed as

Computed Tomography AngiographyCoronary AngiographyFractional Flow Reserve, MyocardialHeart TransplantationAgedCoronary StenosisFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesComputed tomography angiographyFractional flow reserveHeart transplantationMyocardial

Identifiers

PMID39014089
PMCPMC11631993

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.