Multi-centre post-mortem study on the use of coronary inflammation in CCTA to improve the diagnosis of the coronary related cause of death with histopathology validation
Authors: Xie C , Mackinnon T , Thomas S , Freeman D , Roberts I , Mathers C , Tomlins P , Xiao B , Badi I , Robinson C , Deshpande A , Morgan B , Channon K , Neubauer S , Antoniades C 
Published: October 2024

Background/Introduction

A limitation of post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) is the diagnostic accuracy of coronary related death, which constitute majority of investigations. Measurements using coronary inflammation with fat attenuation index (FAI) Score, clinical risk factors and coronary plaque metrics from CCTA to predict fatal cardiac events (AI-Risk) in living patients has not been used in post-mortem setting.

Purpose

This study investigates two new techniques to aid the diagnosis of coronary related death in the post-mortem setting: (1) minimally invasive interventional technique to perform PMCT; (2) diagnostic accuracy of FAI-assisted PMCT with histopathology validation.

Method

Adults with sudden death of unknown cause &lt;48 hours from death were included. Ultrasound guided femoral access to deliver guidewire to the aortic root (Figure 1A), followed by inflation of aortic occlusion balloon and injection of contrast for angiogram. A cardiac radiologist performed the coronary and FAI analysis (1B &C). Two experienced radiologists reported the cause of death without/with aid of FAI score results. The technique was introduced at a second PMCT centre.

Results

PMCT analysis of 37 participants (27 males, 10 females, age range 42-98) – 15 minimally invasive PMCT, and 22 PMCT from previous study showed FAI score (1D) and AI-Risk (1E) were significantly higher in participants who had coronary related death vs non-coronary related causes. In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC, 1F) analysis, thresholding at 42% for AI-Risk and 34 for Mean FAI score, was able to detect all 18 true positives, 2 false positives (1xpulmonary embolism, and 1xdual pathology of ruptured abdominal aneurysm with severe coronary artery disease; these cases showed high FAI score and AI-Risk), and all true negatives. Both radiologists identified 17/18 coronary related death. There were 5 cases of false positives for coronary related death in Radiologist 1 (3 years’ experience); 8 false positives in Radiologists 2 (10 years’ experience). In non-coronary related deaths, Radiologist 1 identified 14/19 true negative cases, and Radiologist 2 identified 11/19 true negative cases. In all the false positive and negative cases, the radiologists’ diagnostic confidence level was either possible, or unascertain. With the aid of FAI score results, all the true coronary related deaths were identified and no false negative case. This method was introduced at a second centre with 108 PMCTs analysed. There were 40 cases of non-coronary death, and 68 cases of coronary related death on PMCT (imaging diagnosis only). In the non-coronary group, FAI-score assisted results showed 100% concordance. In the coronary group, there was 10% dis-concordance (7/68).

Conclusion

Minimally invasive PMCT with FAI score-assisted diagnosis has the potential to increase the diagnostic confidence and accuracy of coronary-related cause of death.