Your new experience awaits. Try the new design now and help us make it even better

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.

Sec. Cardiovascular Endocrinology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1632355

Developing a Novel Diagnostic Model for Identifying High-risk Plaques in New Onset Unstable Angina Pectoris Using Coronary CT Angiography

Provisionally accepted
Hui  LiHui LiYao  LiYao LiZhuoya  YaoZhuoya YaoBin  ChenBin ChenShaohuan  QianShaohuan QianMiaonan  LiMiaonan LiHongju  WangHongju Wang*
  • The first affiliated hospital of Bengbu medical university, bengbu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Limited evidence supports the use of electronic health records for developing prediction models to identify high-risk plaques in patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP). This study aimed to develop and validate a practical high-risk plaque prediction model in patients with new onset UAP.We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients presenting with new-onset UAP who underwent both coronary angiography and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) at our center from January 2021 to December 2021. Based on the CCTA findings, the patients were categorized into two distinct groups: a high-risk plaque group (n=57) and a low-risk plaque group (n=26). We utilized LASSO regression and the Boruta algorithm for feature selection and performed multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify variables associated with high-risk plaque.Internal validity of the predictive model was assessed using bootstrapping (500 replications).We developed a nomogram to predict high-risk plaque likelihood using LASSO regression, the Boruta algorithm, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. This approach identified four clinical features as significant predictors: diabetes mellitus, current smoking, total cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a). The area-under-the-curve (AUC) values, calculated using the bootstrap method with 500 replicates, for evaluating high-risk plaque in both the development and validation cohorts, were 0.851, accompanied by a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) ranging from 0.768 to 0.935. The nomogram exhibited satisfactory calibration when assessed with the bootstrap method (500 replicates), indicating a strong correlation with high-risk plaque as determined by CCTA. Furthermore, decision curve analysis indicated the clinical utility of this nomogram in accurately predicting high-risk plaque. And a web-based dynamic nomogram was further built to facilitate the prediction procedure.Our prediction nomogram, developed using electronic health records, demonstrated robust capability in accurately identifying high-risk plaque among new onset patients with UAP. The implementation of this predictive tool holds great potential for tailoring individualized treatment strategies.

Keywords: Unstable angina pectoris, Coronary computed tomography angiography, High-risk plaque, Prediction model, unstable plaque

Received: 21 May 2025; Accepted: 15 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Li, Li, Yao, Chen, Qian, Li and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Hongju Wang, The first affiliated hospital of Bengbu medical university, bengbu, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.