Les travaux de cette thèse sont consacrés à la détection et le diagnostic des lésions vasculaires, particulièrement dans le cas la maladie coronaire. La maladie coronaire continue à être la première cause de mortalité dans les pays industrialisés. En général, l'identification des lésions vasculaires est abordée en essayant de modéliser les anormalités (lésions). Le principal inconvénient de cette approche est que les lésions sont très hétérogènes, ce qui rend difficile la détection de nouvelles lésions qui n'ont pas été prises en compte par le modèle. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons de ne pas modéliser directement les lésions, mais de supposer que les lésions sont des événements anormaux qui se manifestent comme points avec une faible densité de probabilité. Nous proposons l'utilisation de deux méthodes de classification basées sur les Machines à Vecteurs de Support (SVM) pour résoudre le problème de détection du niveau de densité. Le principal avantage de ces deux méthodes est que la phase d'apprentissage ne requiert pas de données étiquetées représentant les lésions. La première méthode est complètement non supervisée, alors que la seconde exige des étiquettes seulement pour les cas qu'on appelle sains ou normaux. L'utilisation des algorithmes de classification sélectionnés nécessite des descripteurs tels que les anomalies soient représentées comme des points avec une densité de probabilité faible. A cette fin, nous avons développé une métrique basée sur l'intensité de l'image, que nous avons appelée concentric rings. Cette métrique est sensible à la quasi-symétrie des profils d'intensité des vaisseaux sains, mais aussi aux écarts par rapport à cette symétrie, observés dans des cas pathologiques. De plus, nous avons sélectionné plusieurs autres descripteurs candidats à utiliser comme entrée pour les classifieurs. Des expériences sur des données synthétiques et des données de CT cardiaques démontrent que notre métrique a une bonne performance dans la détection d'anomalies, lorsqu'elle est utilisée avec les classifeurs retenus. Une combinaison de plusieurs descripteurs candidats avec la métrique concentric rings peut améliorer la performance de la détection. Nous avons défini un schéma non supervisé de sélection de descripteurs qui permet de déterminer un sous-ensemble optimal de descripteurs. Nous avons confronté les résultats de détection réalisée en utilisant le sous-ensemble de descripteurs sélectionné par notre méthode avec les performances obtenues avec des sous-ensembles sélectionnés par des méthodes supervisées existantes. Ces expériences montrent qu'une combinaison de descripteurs bien choisis améliore effectivement les performances des classifieurs et que les meilleurs résultats s'obtiennent avec le sous-ensemble sélectionné par notre méthode, en association avec les algorithmes de détection retenus. Finalement, nous proposons de réaliser un recalage local entre deux images représentant différentes phases du cycle cardiaque, afin de confronter les résultats de détection dans ces images (phases). L'objectif ici est non seulement d'attirer l'attention du praticien sur les anomalies détectées comme lésions potentielles, mais aussi de l'aider à conforter son diagnostic en visualisant automatiquement la même région reconstruite à différents instants du cycle cardiaque / This thesis presents a framework for the detection and diagnosis of vascular lesions with a special emphasis on coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease remains to be the first cause of mortality worldwide. Typically, the problem of vascular lesion identification has been solved by trying to model the abnormalities (lesions). The main drawback of this approach is that lesions are highly heterogeneous, which makes the detection of previously unseen abnormalities difficult. We have selected not to model lesions directly, but to treat them as anomalies which are seen as low probability density points. We propose the use of two classification frameworks based on support vector machines (SVM) for the density level detection problem. The main advantage of these two methods is that the learning stage does not require labeled data representing lesions, which is always difficult to obtain. The first method is completely unsupervised, whereas the second one only requires a limited number of labels for normality. The use of these anomaly detection algorithms requires the use of features such that anomalies are represented as points with low probability density. For this purpose, we developed an intensity based metric, denoted concentric rings, designed to capture the nearly symmetric intensity profiles of healthy vessels, as well as discrepancies with respect to the normal behavior. Moreover, we have selected a large set of alternative candidate features to use as input for the classifiers. Experiments on synthetic data and cardiac CT data demonstrated that our metric has a good performance in the detection of anomalies, when used with the selected classifiers. Combination of other features with the concentric rings metric has potential to improve the classification performance. We defined an unsupervised feature selection scheme that allows the definition of an optimal subset of features. We compared it with existent supervised feature selection methods. These experiments showed that, in general, the combination of features improves the classifiers performance, and that the best results are achieved with the combination selected by our scheme, associated with the proposed anomaly detection algorithms. Finally, we propose to use image registration in order to compare the classification results at different cardiac phases. The objective here is to match the regions detected as anomalous in different time-frames. In this way, more than attract the physician's attention to the anomaly detected as potential lesion, we want to aid in validating the diagnosis by automatically displaying the same suspected region reconstructed in different time-frames

Diabetic vasculopathy (DV) is the most important consequence of chronic hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). This thesis explores the interaction of blood, bone and kidney in the pathogenesis of DV by i) reviewing the current understanding of pathogenesis of macrovascular and microvascular diseases in DM to identify gaps in literature and generate hypotheses relating to various facets of DV ii) undertaking a series of prospective studies to examine these hypotheses iii) analysing the findings and integrating any new information obtained from the clinical studies into the current knowledge base and iv) generating hypotheses upon which future work might be based. The literature search was carried out with the aim of understanding current concepts of pathogenesis of DV and its potential modulators. The original reviews resulting from this process are presented in chapters 2 to 4. A series of pilot studies reported in chapters 7 to 11, were then carried out to interrogate hypotheses originating from this process. The first study was carried out in healthy individuals to define the biological variation of potential modulators of DV, namely erythropoietin (EPO), parathyroid hormone, 25 hydroxyvitamin D and 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D to facilitate the design and interpretation of subsequent studies. It revealed a wide biological variation of these modulators in the healthy population thus,emphasizing the need to have a control group in the subsequent study population. To examine whether tubulointerstitial dysfunction occurs before the onset of microalbuminuria, a measurement of the above mentioned parameters was carried out along with markers of tubulointerstitial injury in patients with type 1 and type 2 DM without microalbuminuria and in non-diabetic controls. It was found that tubulointerstitial dysfunction with low levels of EPO and 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D and higher excretion of tubular injury markers, occurs before the onset of microalbuminuria. Subsequently, diabetic and nondiabetic chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with EPO deficiency anaemia were examined to study the effects of EPO therapy on the excretion of tubular injury markers. However, in these patient groups, we were unable to demonstrate an effect of EPO therapy on the markers of tubular injury in spite of a beneficial haematological response. To examine whether vascular calcification (VC) and bone mineral density (BMD) were linked in patients with diabetes mellitus and to explore their relationship to modulators of DV, an assessment of VC and BMD was undertaken in patients with type 2 DM with different degrees of proteinuria and normoalbuminuria. VC was assessed by CT scan and BMD by a DEXA scan. Modulators of DV were measured including serum Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-b-ligand (RANKL). The findings were i) a high prevalence of VC and osteopenia in normoalbuminuric type 2 DM patients with normal serum creatinine ii) a weak inverse relationship between VC and osteopenia iii) proteinuric patients had worse VC but not osteopenia iv) weak relationships between OPG levels and both VC and osteopenia, masked by age in multivariate analysis. The final study examined the relationship between modulators of DV, including OPG and RANKL, and the degree of CKD. It was found that abnormalities of OPG and RANKL occur before the onset of microalbuminuria and progress with deterioration of renal function. Compared to nondiabetics, DM patients have higher OPG levels in the predialysis phase and lower levels in haemodialysis phase, a phenomenon that might indicate endothelial exhaustion in dialysis patients with DM. The derangements associated with DV seem to occur earlier than previously thought. Further work is required to untangle these complexities and to define the contribution of factors such as the adverse blood milieu, the vasculature, abnormal bone and mineral metabolism, and early tubulointerstitial damage. The findings from the studies reported here may help in the formulation of new hypotheses, which might contribute to future work in this area.

Introdução: Inúmeros estudos estabeleceram correlações entre o índice tornozelo-braço (ITB), um marcador de aterosclerose subclínica, e o prognóstico cardiovascular em diferentes populações. No entanto, poucos estudos avaliaram a correlação entre os valores do ITB e lesões cardiovasculares e renais, exclusivamente, em pacientes com hipertensão arterial e diabetes. Objetivo: Estudar a prevalência de alterações morfofuncionais cardíacas, carotídeas, retinianas e renais de acordo com a presença ou não de valores de ITB alterados (ITB <= 0,9 ou ITB > 1,4) em pacientes hipertensos com diabetes tipo 2. Métodos: Foram incluídos no estudo 99 pacientes hipertensos diabéticos com idade entre 50 e 80 anos. A aferição do ITB foi realizada em todos os pacientes por método validado e estes foram classificados em Grupo 1 (ITB normal, n = 49) ou Grupo 2 (ITB alterado, n =50). Todos os pacientes foram submetidos, em até 06 meses, à realização de ecodopplercardiograma, ultrassonografia de carótidas, retinografia colorida, aferição da taxa de filtração glomerular (TFG) e da albuminúria de 24h. Os pacientes foram analisados para a ocorrência ou não de um desfecho-composto ecocardiográfico que incluiu alterações morfológicas e funcionais cardíacas relevantes para a prática clínica. Os pacientes dos grupos 1 e 2 foram também comparados quanto à prevalência de placas carotídeas com ou sem repercussão hemodinâmica, TFG < 60 ml/mim/m2, albuminúria de 24h > 30mg e presença ou não de retinopatia. Por fim, foram comparadas as frequências médias das seguintes lesões de órgãos-alvo de ambos os grupos, considerando-se valor unitário para a presença de cada uma delas: hipertrofia do ventrículo esquerdo, retinopatia hipertensiva, TFG < 60 ml/min/m2 e estenose da artéria carótida interna > 50% do seu diâmetro. Resultados: A média de idade dos pacientes foi 65,4 ± 7 anos, sendo 61,6% deles do sexo feminino. A presença de níveis elevados de pressão arterial sistólica (153,4 ± 18 versus 170 ± 26 mmHg), de albuminúria de 24h > 30mg (55,3% versus 82,6%) e de TFG < 60 ml/min/m2 (12,8% versus 33,3%) foi significativamente maior (p < 0.05) entre os pacientes do Grupo 2. O desfecho-composto ecocardiográfico foi mais prevalente no grupo 2 (84,0% versus 59,2%; p = 0,006) e a frequência média de lesões de órgãos-alvo também foi maior nos pacientes do grupo 2 (0,36 ± 0,31 versus 0,19 ± 0,19; p = 0,001). Análise por regressão logística binária revelou que o ITB foi uma das variáveis preditoras independentes para o desfecho-composto ecocardiográfico (OR = 3,43; IC 95% = 1,07 - 11,0; p = 0,04). A partir da análise por regressão linear obteve-se um modelo final no qual o ITB foi uma das três variáveis preditoras independentes para a estimativa da frequência média de lesões de órgãos-alvo com coeficiente beta = 13,22 (1,81 - 24,63), ao lado da idade e do infarto prévio. Conclusão: Nossos dados mostram que valores de ITB alterados estão associados à maior prevalência de lesões em órgãos-alvo, principalmente alterações ecocardiográficas, em pacientes com hipertensão arterial e diabetes / Introduction: A lot of studies have established strong correlations between the ankle-brachial index (ABI), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular prognosis in different populations. However, few studies have assessed the correlation between the values of the ABI and cardiovascular and renal lesions in patients with hypertension and diabetes. Objective: To study the prevalence of cardiac, carotid, renal and retinal morphological and functional changes according to the presence or not of altered ABI values (ABI <= 0.9 or ABI > 1.4) in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: It was included 99 diabetic hypertensive patients aged between 50 and 80 years. The measurement of the ABI was performed in all patients by validated method and they were classified in Group 1 (normal ABI, n = 49) or group 2 (altered ABI, n = 50). All patients were submitted, up to 6 months, to Doppler echocardiography, carotid ultrasound, color retinography, assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and 24h albuminuria. Patients were analyzed for the occurrence or not of a composite echocardiographic outcome which included morphological and functional cardiac alterations relevant to clinical practice. Patients in groups 1 and 2 were compared regarding the prevalence of carotid plaques with or without hemodynamic repercussion, TFG < 60 ml/min/m2, 24h albuminuria > 30 mg and the presence or not of retinopathy. Finally, we compared the prevalence of mean frequency of the following end-organ lesions of both groups, considering unit value for each one: left ventricular hypertrophy, hypertensive retinopathy, TFG < 60 ml/min/m2 and internal carotid artery stenosis > 50%. Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.4 ± 7 years, with 61.6% of them female. The presences of elevated levels of systolic blood pressure (153.4 ± 18 versus 170.0 ± 26 mmHg), of 24h albuminuria > 30 mg (55.3% versus 82.6%) and TFG < 60 ml/min/m2 (12.8% vs. 33.3%) were significantly greater (p < 0.05) among the patients of Group 2. The composite echocardiographic outcome was more prevalent in Group 2 (84.0% versus 59.2%, p = 0.006) and the average frequency of subclinical injury of target organs was also greater in patients of Group 2 (0.36 ± 0.31 versus 0.19 ± 0.19; p = 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the ABI was one of the independent predictors of composite echocardiographic outcome (OR = 3.43; IC 95% = 1.07 - 11.0; p = 0.04). From the linear regression analysis it was obtained a final model in which the ABI was one of three independent predictors for the estimation of the average frequency of end-organ damage with ? coefficient = 13.22 (1.81-24.63), besides age and previous myocardial infarction. Conclusion: Our data demonstrates that changed ABI values are associated with higher prevalence of subclinical end-organ lesions, principally changes in echocardiographic parameters, in patients with hypertension and diabetes

Introdução: Inúmeros estudos estabeleceram correlações entre o índice tornozelo-braço (ITB), um marcador de aterosclerose subclínica, e o prognóstico cardiovascular em diferentes populações. No entanto, poucos estudos avaliaram a correlação entre os valores do ITB e lesões cardiovasculares e renais, exclusivamente, em pacientes com hipertensão arterial e diabetes. Objetivo: Estudar a prevalência de alterações morfofuncionais cardíacas, carotídeas, retinianas e renais de acordo com a presença ou não de valores de ITB alterados (ITB <= 0,9 ou ITB > 1,4) em pacientes hipertensos com diabetes tipo 2. Métodos: Foram incluídos no estudo 99 pacientes hipertensos diabéticos com idade entre 50 e 80 anos. A aferição do ITB foi realizada em todos os pacientes por método validado e estes foram classificados em Grupo 1 (ITB normal, n = 49) ou Grupo 2 (ITB alterado, n =50). Todos os pacientes foram submetidos, em até 06 meses, à realização de ecodopplercardiograma, ultrassonografia de carótidas, retinografia colorida, aferição da taxa de filtração glomerular (TFG) e da albuminúria de 24h. Os pacientes foram analisados para a ocorrência ou não de um desfecho-composto ecocardiográfico que incluiu alterações morfológicas e funcionais cardíacas relevantes para a prática clínica. Os pacientes dos grupos 1 e 2 foram também comparados quanto à prevalência de placas carotídeas com ou sem repercussão hemodinâmica, TFG < 60 ml/mim/m2, albuminúria de 24h > 30mg e presença ou não de retinopatia. Por fim, foram comparadas as frequências médias das seguintes lesões de órgãos-alvo de ambos os grupos, considerando-se valor unitário para a presença de cada uma delas: hipertrofia do ventrículo esquerdo, retinopatia hipertensiva, TFG < 60 ml/min/m2 e estenose da artéria carótida interna > 50% do seu diâmetro. Resultados: A média de idade dos pacientes foi 65,4 ± 7 anos, sendo 61,6% deles do sexo feminino. A presença de níveis elevados de pressão arterial sistólica (153,4 ± 18 versus 170 ± 26 mmHg), de albuminúria de 24h > 30mg (55,3% versus 82,6%) e de TFG < 60 ml/min/m2 (12,8% versus 33,3%) foi significativamente maior (p < 0.05) entre os pacientes do Grupo 2. O desfecho-composto ecocardiográfico foi mais prevalente no grupo 2 (84,0% versus 59,2%; p = 0,006) e a frequência média de lesões de órgãos-alvo também foi maior nos pacientes do grupo 2 (0,36 ± 0,31 versus 0,19 ± 0,19; p = 0,001). Análise por regressão logística binária revelou que o ITB foi uma das variáveis preditoras independentes para o desfecho-composto ecocardiográfico (OR = 3,43; IC 95% = 1,07 - 11,0; p = 0,04). A partir da análise por regressão linear obteve-se um modelo final no qual o ITB foi uma das três variáveis preditoras independentes para a estimativa da frequência média de lesões de órgãos-alvo com coeficiente beta = 13,22 (1,81 - 24,63), ao lado da idade e do infarto prévio. Conclusão: Nossos dados mostram que valores de ITB alterados estão associados à maior prevalência de lesões em órgãos-alvo, principalmente alterações ecocardiográficas, em pacientes com hipertensão arterial e diabetes / Introduction: A lot of studies have established strong correlations between the ankle-brachial index (ABI), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular prognosis in different populations. However, few studies have assessed the correlation between the values of the ABI and cardiovascular and renal lesions in patients with hypertension and diabetes. Objective: To study the prevalence of cardiac, carotid, renal and retinal morphological and functional changes according to the presence or not of altered ABI values (ABI <= 0.9 or ABI > 1.4) in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: It was included 99 diabetic hypertensive patients aged between 50 and 80 years. The measurement of the ABI was performed in all patients by validated method and they were classified in Group 1 (normal ABI, n = 49) or group 2 (altered ABI, n = 50). All patients were submitted, up to 6 months, to Doppler echocardiography, carotid ultrasound, color retinography, assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and 24h albuminuria. Patients were analyzed for the occurrence or not of a composite echocardiographic outcome which included morphological and functional cardiac alterations relevant to clinical practice. Patients in groups 1 and 2 were compared regarding the prevalence of carotid plaques with or without hemodynamic repercussion, TFG < 60 ml/min/m2, 24h albuminuria > 30 mg and the presence or not of retinopathy. Finally, we compared the prevalence of mean frequency of the following end-organ lesions of both groups, considering unit value for each one: left ventricular hypertrophy, hypertensive retinopathy, TFG < 60 ml/min/m2 and internal carotid artery stenosis > 50%. Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.4 ± 7 years, with 61.6% of them female. The presences of elevated levels of systolic blood pressure (153.4 ± 18 versus 170.0 ± 26 mmHg), of 24h albuminuria > 30 mg (55.3% versus 82.6%) and TFG < 60 ml/min/m2 (12.8% vs. 33.3%) were significantly greater (p < 0.05) among the patients of Group 2. The composite echocardiographic outcome was more prevalent in Group 2 (84.0% versus 59.2%, p = 0.006) and the average frequency of subclinical injury of target organs was also greater in patients of Group 2 (0.36 ± 0.31 versus 0.19 ± 0.19; p = 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the ABI was one of the independent predictors of composite echocardiographic outcome (OR = 3.43; IC 95% = 1.07 - 11.0; p = 0.04). From the linear regression analysis it was obtained a final model in which the ABI was one of three independent predictors for the estimation of the average frequency of end-organ damage with ? coefficient = 13.22 (1.81-24.63), besides age and previous myocardial infarction. Conclusion: Our data demonstrates that changed ABI values are associated with higher prevalence of subclinical end-organ lesions, principally changes in echocardiographic parameters, in patients with hypertension and diabetes

Introduction: Jusqu’à la moitié des patients souffrant d’angine de poitrine vont continuer à être symptomatiques malgré une revascularisation coronarienne pour leur angine. Par ailleurs, l’évaluation de l’angine souffre du biais d’adaptation au seuil ischémique, phénomène par lequel les patients réduisent leur niveau d’activité physique pour limiter leurs symptômes. L’étude NOVA-SKIN (NCT02591758) utilise une veste intelligente (Hexoskin™) afin de (i) valider l’électrocardiogramme (ECG) de cette veste avec le Holter et l’épreuve d’effort (ii) dériver un “indice de vitalité” à partir des mesures biométriques de la veste, afin d’ajuster les mesures conventionnelles d’angine pour le biais d’adaptation au seuil ischémique et dériver des mesures d’angine digitale et (iii) évaluer si la réadaptation cardiaque à domicile peut être surveillée à distance avec le Hexoskin. Méthodes: Trente patients référés pour angiographie coronarienne pour leur angine réfractaire au traitement médical ont complété une épreuve d’effort et ont porté la veste Hexoskin (avec enregistrement simultané d’Holter) pendant 48 heures, 2 semaines avant leur examen. Les patients furent revus 2 semaines après la revascularisation coronarienne percutanée ou 6 semaines après la chirurgie cardiaque s’ils ont eu des pontages, où ils ont porté la veste Hexoskin avec Holter pendant 48 heures et fait une épreuve d’effort. Nous avons dérivé un indice de vitalité digital (Indice de vitalité = fréquence cardiaque * activité) chez chaque patient pour les deux enregistrements de la veste. Nous avons dérivé des mesures d’angine digitale en divisant ou multipliant (selon la direction de l’effet post coronarographie attendu) les mesures d’angine conventionnelle (classe SCC, pointage de qualité de vie, décompte de nitroglycérine et décompte d’angine) par l’indice de vitalité propre au patient. Nous avons comparé les différences (pré- et post-coronarographie) de mesures d’angine ajustées pour l’indice de vitalité dérivé à partir d’une veste intelligente (« angine digitale ») avec les mesures d’angine conventionnelles non ajustées. Les participants devaient ensuite compléter 6 sessions de réadaptation cardiaque à domicile sur une période de 1 mois. Une corrélation de Pearson fut obtenue entre la fréquence cardiaque de l’ECG de l’Hexoskin et celle du Holter et du tapis roulant. L’indice de vitalité pré et post-angiographie fut comparé en utilisant un test t et nous avons mesuré la taille de l’effet du traitement de l’angine dans le même patient, pour les mesures ajustées et non ajustées d’angine. Résultats: Trente patients, âgés de 68.0±7.0 ans, majoritairement des hommes (n=28; 93.3%) ont subi une angiographie coronarienne et ont été traités, pour leur angine, de façon percutanée (n=20; 66.7%), avec pontages (n=6; 20.0%) ou avec traitement médical (n= 4; 13.3%). Tous les patients étaient en rythme sinusal au départ. La fréquence cardiaque obtenue avec l’ECG de l’Hexoskin avait une corrélation très forte avec celle obtenue avec l’ECG du tapis roulant (r=0.95) et forte avec l’Holter (r=0.85). L’indice de vitalité a augmenté de manière significative (2.30±1.38 pré vs 2.70±1.12 post-traitement de l’angine; p=0.05). Les mesures d’angine digitale ayant montré une différence plus importante que les mesures conventionnelles sont le décompte hebdomadaire de nitroglycérine, l’échelle de santé globale du SF-36, la durée d’effort sur le tapis roulant et le nombre de METS maximal. Par ailleurs, chez les patients classifiés comme non-répondants au traitement de l’angine par mesures conventionnelles, les mesures d’angine digitale suivantes se sont améliorées de façon significative: classe SCC, décompte hebdomadaire d’angine, questionnaire d’angine de Seattle et la durée d’effort pendant l’épreuve d’effort. Aucun évènement cardiovasculaire ne s’est produit durant la réadaptation cardiaque à domicile et 93.3% des patients ont complété les 6 sessions. Conclusion : Dans notre étude pilote, l’ECG de Hexoskin a obtenu des mesures de fréquence cardiaque valides lorsque comparées au Holter et au tapis d’effort. L’incorporation d’un indice de vitalité obtenu à partir d’une veste intelligente a permis d’ajuster des mesures d’angine pour celui-ci et obtenir une angine digitale. La mesure d’angine digitale a une plus grande taille de l’effet post traitement de l’angine par revascularisation et peut détecter davantage de changements, au-delà des mesures d’angine conventionnelles. Cela est plus marqué chez les patients initialement classifiés comme “non-répondants” au traitement de l’angine. La réadaptation cardiaque à domicile fut sécuritaire et complétée par la majorité des patients. / Introduction : Up to half of coronary artery disease patients will remain symptomatic of angina, despite coronary revascularization. Moreover, the assessment of angina suffers from the ischemic threshold adaptation bias where patients will restrict their physical activity level in order to minimize their angina symptoms. The NOVA-SKIN study (NCT02591758) was designed to use a novel “smart clothing” (Hexoskin™) to (i) validate the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal of against traditional Holter and Treadmill stress tests (ii) to derive a ‘vitality index’ using the biometric measures obtained from the Hexoskin in order to adjust conventional angina assessment metrics to account for the ischemic threshold adaptation bias and derive a digital measure of angina and to (iii) assess if home cardiac rehabilitation can be remotely monitored using the Hexoskin system. Methods: Thirty stable angina patients referred for coronary angiography for refractory angina underwent a treadmill stress test and then simultaneously wore the Hexoskin vest and a traditional Holter monitor for 48 hours, 2 weeks before their exam. The patients were followed up 2 weeks after the percutaneous coronary intervention and 6 weeks after their cardiac surgery if they had coronary artery bypass graft. During the follow-up visit, they wore the vest with a Holter monitor for 48 hours and underwent another treadmill stress test. We obtained an average vitality index pre- and post-angiogram (Vitality index=heart rate * activity) using recordings from the vest. We also obtained health related questionnaires during the same timeframe. We compared differences in conventional angina metrics adjusted for the vitality index (“digital angina”) with the conventional metrics unadjusted for the vitality index, pre- and post-coronary angiography. Patients then had to complete 6 home cardiac rehabilitation sessions during a 1-month period. Pearson correlation was obtained between the heart rate (HR) derived from the ECG of the vest and the HR of the Holter and treadmill stress test. The vitality index pre and post-angiography was compared using a t-test. We derived digital angina metrics by dividing or multiplying (according to the direction of the effect expected post-coronarography) the conventional angina metrics. Then we measured the effect size of the angina treatment and compared it between adjusted and unadjusted metrics within the same patient. Results: Thirty patients aged 68.0±7.0 years (93.3% men; n=28) were enrolled in the study. Patients were treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (n=20; 66.7%), coronary artery bypass grafting (n=6; 20.0%) or medical therapy (n=4; 13.3%). The heart rate from ECG signal of the Hexoskin demonstrated a very strong correlation with that of the treadmill stress test ECG (r=0.95) and a strong correlation with the Holter (r=0.85). The vitality index increased significantly from 2.30±1.38 to 2.70±1.12 (p=0.05). The digital angina metrics (adjusted for the vitality index) that were found to be more responsive to the treatment of the angina than conventional were: the weekly nitroglycerin count, the global health sub-scale of the SF-36, the treadmill stress test length and the peak METs. Furthermore, in patients classified as non-responders to the treatment of angina by conventional metrics, the digital angina measures improved significantly, when looking at the CCS class, the weekly angina count, the Seattle Angina Questionnaire metrics and the duration of exercise on the treadmill stress test. No adverse events occurred during home cardiac rehabilitation and 28 patients completed all 6 sessions wearing the Hexoskin. Conclusion : In our pilot study, the Hexoskin ECG was well correlated with standard HR measurement using a treadmill ECG or a Holter. Adjusting conventional metrics for the vitality index allows for greater sensitivity in gauging the effect of revascularization on angina than conventional metrics alone, particularly for patients who would be considered non-responders to their treatment based on conventional metrics. Home cardiac rehabilitation was safe and was completed by most patients.