Non-invasive predictors of coronary artery ectasia

Background: Coronary artery ectasia (CAE), defined as dilatation ≥1.5 times the adjacent normal coronary segment, is an uncommon angiographic finding with reported prevalence of 0.3-4.9%. Although often considered non-obstructive, CAE carries significant thrombotic risk and adverse outcomes, highlighting the need for reliable non-invasive predictors. Objectives: This research aims to research the risk factors and non-invasive predictors of CAE among the cases presented or manifested by coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: This prospective cohort was conducted at Banha University and Al-Matria Teaching Hospital including 270 cases, 67 controls and 203 cases with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing coronary angiography were divided into: Group 1 (CAE, n=96, subgroups 1a obstructive n=20, 1b non-obstructive n=76), Group 2 (obstructive CAD, n=107), and Group 3 (controls with normal coronaries, n=67). Data collection included demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, laboratory markers (lipids, creatinine, ALT, AST, Hb), cardiac enzymes, echocardiography (LVEF), and angiographic parameters. Results: Age and sex were comparable across groups, but hypertension (75.0%) and diabetes mellitus (66.7%) were significantly more frequent in CAE compared with CAD (59.8%, 57.0%) and controls (46.3%, 32.8%) (p≤0.001). ACS presentation varied (p