Trabecular Bone Score Reference Values for Children and Adolescents According to Age,Sex, and Ancestry

Trabecular bone score (TBS) is used for fracture prediction in adults, but its utility in children is limited by absence of appropriate reference values. We aimed to develop reference ranges for TBS by age, sex, and population ancestry for youth ages 5 to 20 years. We also investigated the association between height, body mass index (BMI), and TBS, agreement between TBS and lumbar spine areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) Z-scores, tracking of TBS Z-scores over time, and precision of TBS measurements. We performed secondary analysis of spine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans from the Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study (BMDCS), a mixed longitudinal cohort of healthy children (n = 2014) evaluated at five US centers. TBS was derived using a dedicated TBS algorithm accounting for tissue thickness rather than BMI. TBS increased only during ages corresponding to pubertal development with an earlier increase in females than males. There were no differences in TBS between African Americans and non-African Americans. We provide sex-specific TBS reference ranges and LMS values for calculation of TBS Z-scores by age and means and SD for calculation of Z-scores by pubertal stage. TBS Z-scores were positively associated with height Z-scores at some ages. TBS Z-scores explained only 27% and 17% of the variance of spine aBMD and BMAD Z-scores. Tracking of TBS Z-scores over 6 years was lower (r = 0.47) than for aBMD or BMAD Z-scores (r = 0.74 to 0.79), and precision error of TBS (2.87%) was greater than for aBMD (0.85%) and BMAD (1.22%). In sum, TBS Z-scores provide information distinct from spine aBMD and BMAD Z-scores. Our robust reference ranges for TBS in a well-characterized pediatric cohort and precision error estimates provide essential tools for clinical assessment using TBS and determination of its value in predicting bone fragility in childhood and adolescence. © 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).     

Interictal epileptiform discharges vary across age groups

ObjectiveTo investigate whether the occurrence and morphology of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) in scalp-EEG change by age.Methods10,547 patients who had a standard or sleep deprived EEG recording reported using the SCORE standard were included. 875 patients had at least one EEG with focal IEDs. Focal IED morphology was analyzed by age using quantitative measures in EEGLAB and by visual classification based on the SCORE standard. We present distributions of IED measures by age group, with medians, interquartiles, 5th and 95th percentiles.ResultsFocal IEDs occurred most frequently in children and elderly. IED morphology and localization depended on age (p < 0.001). IEDs had higher amplitudes, sharper peaks, larger slopes, shorter durations, larger slow-wave areas and wider distributions in children. These morphological characteristics diminished and the IEDs became more lateralized with increasing age. Spike asymmetry was stable across all age groups.ConclusionsIEDs have age-dependent characteristics. A spike detector, human or computer, should not operate with the same set of thresholds for patients at various age. With increasing age, focal IEDs are less sharp, have lower amplitudes, have less prominent slow-waves and they become more lateralized. Our findings can help EEG readers in detecting and correctly describing IEDs in patients of various age.SignificanceEEG readers should always consider patient age when interpreting interictal epileptiform discharges.     

Advances in Percutaneous Coronary Interventions for Elderly Patients

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and the most common cause of death in older adults. Paradoxically, elderly patients tend to be systematically excluded from randomized-controlled cardiovascular trials, which complicates decision-making in this population. Management of CHD in the elderly is frequently more difficult in virtue of chronic comorbid conditions and aging-intrinsic dynamics. Despite these challenges, the number of elderly and very elderly patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is increasing. Elderly patients in many registries and large clinical series exhibit even a greater benefit from interventional procedures than younger patients, but they have a higher rate of overall complications. We present an overview of the current available evidence of PCI in older adults with stable and unstable CHD, including comparisons between drug-eluting and bare-metal stents, transfemoral and transradial access, and methods of revascularization. Adjuvant antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapies are also discussed.     

A Comparative Analysis of Current Lipid Treatment Guidelines: Nothing Stands Still

Lipid treatment guidelines have continued to evolve as new evidence emerges. We sought to review similarities and differences of 5 lipid treatment guidelines from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association, Canadian Cardiovascular Society, European Society for Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and U.S. Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense. All guidelines utilize rigorous evidentiary review, highlight statin therapy for primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and emphasize a clinician-patient risk discussion. However, there are differences in statin intensities, use of risk estimators, treatment of specific patient subgroups, and consideration of safety concerns. Clinicians should understand these similarities and differences in current and future guideline recommendations when considering if and how to treat their patients with statin therapy.     

Percutaneous coronary intervention in unprotected left main coronary artery stenosis: Mid-term outcomes of a single-center observational study

BackgroundPercutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an appropriate alternative to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for revascularization of unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease in patients with low-to–intermediate anatomic complexity or when the patient refuses CABG even after adequate counselling by heart team. We assessed the safety, in-hospital and mid-term outcomes of ULMCA stenting with drug-eluting stents (DES) in Indian patients.MethodsOur study was a retrospective analysis of patients who had undergone ULMCA PCI at a tertiary center, between March 2011 and February 2020. Clinical characteristics, procedural data, and follow-up data were analyzed. The primary outcome was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) during the hospital stay and at follow-up. The median follow-up was 2.8 years (interquartile range: 1.5–4.1 years).Results661 patients (mean age, 63.5 ± 10.9 years) had undergone ULMCA PCI. The mean SYNTAX score was 27.9 ± 10.4 and the mean LVEF was 58.0 ± 11.1%. 3-vessel disease and distal lesions were noted in 54% and 70.6% patients, respectively. The incidence of in-hospital MACCE was 1.8% and the MACCE during follow-up was 11.5% (including 48 [8.4%] cardiac deaths). The overall survival rates after one, three, five, and nine years were 94%, 88%, 84%, and 82%, respectively. The multivariate analysis revealed that age >65 years and high SYNTAX scores were independent predictors of mid to long-term mortality.ConclusionULMCA PCI with DES is safe and has acceptable in-hospital and mid-term outcomes among patients with low-to–intermediate SYNTAX score.     

Fractional Flow Reserve Derived From Computed Tomographic Angiography in Patients With Multivessel CAD

Background

The functional SYNTAX score (FSS) has been shown to improve the discrimination for major adverse cardiac events compared with the anatomic SYNTAX score (SS) while reducing interobserver variability. However, evidence supporting the noninvasive FSS in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) is scarce.

Validation and Comparison of the Long-Term Prognostic Capability of the SYNTAX Score-II Among 1,528 Consecutive Patients Who Underwent Left Main Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

ObjectivesThis study sought to evaluate the long-term prognostic capacity of the SYNTAX (Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) score II (SS-II) and compare it with other risk scores among patients undergoing left main percutaneous coronary intervention (LM-PCI).BackgroundRecently, the SS-II was developed in an attempt to individualize and help the decision-making process between PCI and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in the management of complex coronary artery disease (CAD). However, there is a paucity of data regarding the utility of SS-II in patients undergoing LM-PCI.MethodsData from 1,528 consecutive patients from a single center undergoing unprotected LM-PCI were prospectively collected. The SS-II and other scores were then derived using patients’ baseline clinical characteristics. Patients were stratified according to tertiles of SS-II for PCI: SS-II ≤21 (n = 508), SS-II >21 and ≤28 (n = 480), and >28 (n = 540). Predictive capability for long-term mortality was compared between angiographic scores and scores combining both angiographic and clinical variables.ResultsAt a mean follow-up of 4.4 years, mortality in the first, second, and third SS-II tertiles was 1.8%, 3.5%, and 9.4%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed SS-II to be a strong independent predictor of mortality (hazard ratio: 1.76, 95% confidence interval: 1.10 to 2.82; p = 0.02) after LM-PCI. When compared with the angiographic SS, scores combining both clinical and angiographic variables, such as the SS-II, were superior in terms of long-term prognostication.ConclusionsResults of this large series of consecutive patients who underwent unprotected LM-PCI suggested that the SS-II has better long-term prognostic power in terms of mortality compared with the original purely angiographic SS.