Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26690951›Full record

SynthesisEuropean heart journal. Cardiovascular Imaging2016

Characteristics of high-risk coronary plaques identified by computed tomographic angiography and associated prognosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Camilla Thomsen, Jawdat Abdulla

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European heart journal. Cardiovascular Imaging, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
67citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

67 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Coronary Artery Plaque Characteristics Associated With Adverse Outcomes in the SCOT-HEART Study.Journal of the American College of Cardiology · 2019 · on this map
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  5. Is Imaging of a Single Vessel Sufficient to Assess Pan-Coronary Vulnerability?Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions · 2026
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7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

2 authors.

Camilla ThomsenDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Glostrup University Hospital, Nordre Ringvej 57, 2600 Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark allimac_fjord@hotmail.com.
Jawdat AbdullaDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Glostrup University Hospital, Nordre Ringvej 57, 2600 Glostrup, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

To clarify the potential role of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) in characterizing and prognosticating high-risk coronary plaques. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to compare high-risk vs. low-risk plaques and culprit vs. non-culprit lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) vs. stable angina (SA). High-risk plaques were defined by at least one of the following features: non-calcified plaque (NCP), the presence of spotty calcified plaque (SCP), or increased remodelling index (RI). Results of included studies were pooled as odds ratios (OR) or weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Eighteen eligible studies provided data to compare plaque types, plaque volume, and RI. Six studies provided data on ACS events in vulnerable high-risk vs. low-risk calcified plaques after 35 ± 2 months of follow-up. ACS patients had significantly higher number of NCP and SCP compared with SA patients with OR = 1.96 (1.47-2.60; 95% CI) P = 0.0001 and OR = 4.5 (2.98-6.83; 95% CI) P = 0.0001, respectively. Total plaque volume in ACS was not larger than SA: WMD = 22.9 (-22.1 to 67; 95% CI) mm(3), P = 0.32, but NCP volume was significantly larger: WMD = 28.8 (10.9-46.7; 95% CI) mm(3), P = 0.002. RI was higher in culprit lesions in ACS compared with SA and compared with non-culprit lesions in ACS patients: WMD = 0.48 (0.25-0.70; 95% CI) P = 0.0001 and 0.19 (0.07-0.30) P = 0.0001, respectively. The associated risk of future ACS was significantly higher in high-risk than in low-risk plaques: OR = 12.1 (5.24-28.1; 95% CI) P = 0.0001. CCTA can non-invasively characterize high-risk vulnerable coronary plaques and can predict future ACS events in patients with high-risk plaques.

Indexed as

Coronary AngiographyCoronary Artery DiseaseHumansPlaque, AtheroscleroticPrognosisRisk AssessmentRisk FactorsTomography, X-Ray Computedangiographycomputed tomographycoronary arterymyocardial infarctionplaque

Identifiers

PMID26690951
PMCPMC4882896

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 OpenQuestion graph.