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Early detection of coronary artery disease using low-dose CT perfusion: An experimental western fat diet study
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Early detection of coronary artery disease using low-dose CT perfusion: An experimental western fat diet study

Alireza Shojazadeh, Negin Hadjiabdolhamid, Chaeeun Lee, Ines Marcal Antunes, Hosung Bae, Qiyu Zhang, Craig B Wilsen, Deniz Akay Urgun, Cholsoon Jang and Sabee Molloi
International journal of cardiology, Vol.442, p.133793
01/01/2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2025.133793
PMID: 40850572
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2025.133793View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

To evaluate changes in myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) over time in a swine model fed a Western diet (WD) using a novel low-dose myocardial CT perfusion technique. Ten swine with low-density lipoprotein receptor mutations were fed a WD starting at week 0 and imaged after 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 23 weeks of WD exposure (mean ± SD: 17.1 ± 3.25 weeks; range 12-23 weeks) using a 320-slice CT scanner under rest and adenosine-induced stress (240 μg/kg/min). Peripheral contrast injection (370 mgI/mL, 0.5 mL/kg, 5 mL/s) with a diluted chaser (30:70 contrast/saline) was followed by bolus tracking and a single-volume scan acquired at peak aortic enhancement (100 kVp, 200 mA). A first-pass analysis model derived MBF (mL/min/g) from bolus-tracking and scan data. Rest and stress MBF were used to compute CFR. Correlations between WD duration and both stress MBF and CFR were assessed. Reproducibility was evaluated through paired repeated scans. The CT dose index was recorded. Starting at 12 weeks post-WD, stress-induced MBF and CFR were strongly correlated with WD duration: MBFstress = -0.05 T + 2.56 (r = -0.93) and CFR = -0.13 T + 4.30 (r = -0.76). Reproducibility between repeated MBF measurements was high (MBF2 = 0.97MBF1 + 0.05; r = 0.99; RMSE = 0.06 mL/min/g). The average CT dose index was 7.4 mGy. Prolonged Western diet consumption in this swine model was associated with a progressive decline in stress-induced MBF and CFR, indicating the development of diet-related myocardial microvascular dysfunction. These results suggest that the low-dose single-volume CT perfusion technique can detect early perfusion impairments before overt disease, offering a promising tool for early risk stratification in coronary artery disease. A novel low-dose, single-volume CT perfusion technique enables early detection of coronary microvascular dysfunction associated with Western diet exposure, providing a non-invasive and radiation-efficient method for assessing myocardial blood flow and coronary flow reserve before the development of significant epicardial stenosis.
 Animals Coronary Artery Disease - diagnostic imaging Coronary Artery Disease - etiology Coronary Artery Disease - physiopathology Coronary Circulation - physiology Diet, Western - adverse effects Disease Models, Animal Early Diagnosis Myocardial Perfusion Imaging - methods Swine Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods

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