Association between coronary tortuosity and mitral annular calcification

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Vascular Medicine
• Cardiac Imaging

Background:

• Coronary tortuosity (CorT) is a common finding in coronary angiography, but its causes and implications remain unclear.
• Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a frequent cardiac structural abnormality detected via echocardiography.
• Both MAC and CorT share associations with common atherosclerotic risk factors, including advanced age, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, female gender, and chronic kidney disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential association between mitral annular calcification (MAC) and coronary tortuosity (CorT).
• To evaluate if MAC is an independent predictor of CorT in patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of medical records from 2,736 patients who underwent coronary angiography.
• Inclusion of 392 patients with MAC and 687 control patients without MAC.
• Evaluation of clinical, biochemical, echocardiographic parameters, and coronary tortuosity, defined as three fixed bends (≥45°) during systole and diastole.

Main Results:

• Patients with MAC exhibited a higher prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, female gender, and advanced age.
• Univariate analysis revealed associations between advanced age, hypertension, female gender, hyperlipidemia, and MAC with CorT.
• Multivariate analysis identified MAC (OR 2.167), advanced age (OR 1.243), and hypertension (OR 2.358) as independent predictors of CorT.

Conclusions:

• A significant relationship was identified between mitral annular calcification (MAC) and coronary tortuosity (CorT).
• MAC emerged as an independent predictor of CorT, suggesting a potential link between these cardiovascular findings.