Comparison of CT acquired cardiac valvular calcification scores in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients...

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Cardiology
• Radiology

Background:

• Cardiac valvular calcification (CVC) is a significant concern in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.
• Limited data exists comparing CVC severity between hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) modalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the degree of CVC in HD and PD patients undergoing open heart surgery (OHS).
• To investigate the association between the duration of dialysis modality and the presence of mitral and aortic calcification.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of ESRD patients who underwent OHS between 2009-2019 with pre-surgical cardiac CT scans.
• CVC assessed using Agatston calcium scores for mitral and aortic valves.
• Logistic regression used to determine the association of cumulative HD and PD duration with CVC presence, adjusting for age, sex, and BMI.

Main Results:

• Age, female sex, and BMI were associated with mitral calcification.
• Age and BMI were associated with aortic calcification; female sex showed a negative association.
• Cumulative years on either HD or PD were not significantly associated with the presence of CVC in either the mitral or aortic strata.

Conclusions:

• Dialysis modality duration (HD or PD) was not significantly associated with CVC in patients undergoing OHS.
• Factors beyond dialysis duration, such as age, sex, and BMI, play a role in CVC progression in ESRD.
• Further research is needed to identify additional factors influencing CVC in ESRD patients.