Original InvestigationSYNTAX Score Derived From Coronary CT Angiography for Prediction of Complex Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

- SYNTAX score commonly assesses coronary artery disease complexity by invasive coronary angiography (ICA).
- SYNTAX scores derived from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) are concordant with those derived from ICA.
- CCTA- and ICA-derived SYNTAX scores correlate with complexity of percutaneous coronary intervention.
- Derivation of SYNTAX score by CCTA might assist in percutaneous coronary intervention planning.

Rationale and ObjectivesSYNTAX score is a useful metric determined at the time of invasive coronary angiography (ICA) to assess the complexity of coronary artery disease, and improves prediction of complications at the time of percutaneous complex intervention (PCI). We aimed to determine whether SYNTAX score can be reliably determined from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and whether a CCTA-derived SYNTAX score can predict complex PCI.Materials and MethodsSYNTAX scores were calculated on per-patient, per-vessel, and per-segment basis in 154 consecutive patients who underwent CCTA and ICA. PCI complexity in 113 patients who underwent intervention was defined by total fluoroscopy time and contrast volume.ResultsCompared to ICA, CCTA detected 285 of 302 (94%) obstructive lesions in 230 vessels, for which PCI was performed for 154 lesions in 131 vessels. Overall, on a per-patient basis, ICA-derived SYNTAX score was lower in comparison to CCTA-derived score (10.2 ± 8.0 vs 10.9 ± 8.3, P = 0.001). As compared to lesions in the lowest CCTA-derived segmental SYNTAX tertile, lesions in the highest tertile required longer fluoroscopy time (17.5 ± 12 min vs 11.5 ± 7.9 min, P = 0.01) and greater contrast volume (215.4 ± 125.5 mL vs 144.3 ± 49 mL, P = 0.02).ConclusionSYNTAX scores derived from CCTA are concordant with those derived from ICA and correspond with complex PCI.