Background

Yearly angiography remains the gold standard for detection of cardiac transplant vasculopathy (CTV); however, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) continues to gain popularity as a screening tool. Abnormal minimal intimal thickening (MIT) on IVUS defined as difference of >0.4 mm between baseline and 1-year post-transplant has been shown to have prognostic value. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether performing first IVUS more than 6 months after transplantation without a baseline IVUS has similar prognostic value. Furthermore, we evaluated whether serial IVUS performed beyond 1 year has any additional prognostic value.

Methods

A cohort of 149 cardiac transplant patients who underwent IVUS examination more than 6 months post transplant at our institution from 1999 to 2008 were evaluated retrospectively. Of these 149 patients, 109 patients underwent a subsequent IVUS study approximately 1 year following the initial diagnostic IVUS study. MIT values of >0.4 mm were correlated with major adverse cardiac event (MACE).

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