Dobutamine stress cardiac MRI reliably predicts significant coronary disease in renal transplant candidates

Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) accounts for half of all deaths in patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) who have undergone renal transplantation. In patients with ESKD, “angiographically” significant CAD may be asymptomatic. Identification of these patients, with subsequent revascularisation, may reduce the prevalence of adverse cardiovascular events in the peri-transplant and post-transplant period. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of diagnostic (>85% maximum age-predicted heart rate) dobutamine stress cardiac magnetic resonance (DSCMR) imaging in identifying “angiographically” significant CAD in asymptomatic patients.