Director or the Montreal Heart Institute quantitative angiographic core laboratory

During the last 20 years, many studies have used quantitative angiographic measurements to evaluate the effect of pharmacological or interventional treatments on prevention or restenosis after coronary angioplasty or to study the efficacy of drugs on progression or regression of coronary atherosclerosis.  The objective of angiographic measurements is to detect and quantify (small) changes in the severity and extent of coronary stenoses.

Assessment of the degree of change is closely dependent upon the overall variability of the method and of the instruments used to measure them. Quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) has been used extensively for this purpose. These QCA measurements are performed using a dedicated automated computer edge-detection system.

The purpose of a quantitative coronary angiography core laboratory is also to allow standardization and optimization of image acquisition at all sites participating in a clinical trial, and standardization and optimization of off-line image analysis.  Other type of imaging acquisition such a magnetic resonance and multidetector scan angiography can be also analyzed in our core laboratory.

Relevant publications

1. Lespérance J, Bourassa MG, Schwartz L, Hudon G, Laurier J, Eastwood C, Kazim F:  Definition and measurement of restenosis after successful coronary angioplasty: Implications for clinical trials.  Am Heart J 125: 1394-1408, 1993
2. van Weert AWM, Lespérance J, Reiber JHC:  Standardization of central off-line quantitative image analysis: Implications from experiences with quantitative coronary angiography.  Heart Drug  1:44-51, 2001
3. Tardif JC, Côté G, Lespérance J, Bourassa MG, Lambert J, Doucet S, Bilodeau L, Nattel S, de Guise P: MultiVitamins and Probucol Study Group: Probucol and multivitamins in the prevention of restenosis after coronary angioplasty.  N Engl J Med 337: 365-372, 1997
4. Waters D, Higginson L, Gladstone P, Kimball B, Le May M, Boccuzzi SJ,
   Lespérance J:  Effects of monotherapy with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor on the progression of coronary atherosclerosis as assessed by serial quantitative arteriography.  Circulation 89: 959-968, 1994
5. Ledru F, Théroux P, Lespérance J, Laurier J, Ducimetière P, Guermonprez JL, Diébold B, Blanchard D: Geometric features of coronary artery lesions favoring acute occlusion and myocardial infarction: A quantitative angiographic study.  J Am Coll Cardiol 33: 1353-1361, 1999