Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
Published on: August 28, 2018
[Diagnosis and Intervention for calcified coronary artery disease--role of multi-slice CT]
1Tokai University School of Medicine, Department of Cardiology.
Insights
Coronary calcification complicates treatment and diagnosis. While multi-slice CT (MDCT) detects calcification, accurately quantifying stenosis remains challenging for these complex atherosclerotic lesions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Atherosclerotic lesions have long been known to contain calcification, with mechanisms remaining unclear.
- Current treatments like percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents are challenged by calcified coronary lesions.
- Stent under-expansion during high-pressure dilatation is a significant issue in treating calcified coronary stenoses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the diagnostic capabilities of multi-slice CT (MDCT) in identifying coronary calcification.
- To address the limitations of current imaging techniques in quantifying stenosis within calcified lesions.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing multi-slice CT (MDCT) for non-invasive diagnosis of coronary stenoses.
- Observing the ease of detection of coronary calcification via MDCT.
Main Results:
- MDCT enables non-invasive detection of coronary calcification.
- Quantification of stenosis severity in calcified coronary lesions remains difficult despite MDCT's detection capabilities.
Conclusions:
- Coronary calcification presents a significant challenge in both diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerotic disease.
- MDCT is effective for detecting calcification but limited in precise stenosis quantification in these cases.
Abstract:
Calcification has been well known to exist in atherosclerotic lesions from 19th century. The mechanisms of calcification are still unknown. Coronary stenoses can be treated by percutaneous coronary intervention using drug eluting stents at present. To the contrary, calcified coronary lesions are still difficult to be treated due to stent unexpansion despite of high pressure dilatation. Recent development of multi-slice CT (MDCT) has made it possible to diagnose coronary stenoses non-invasively. Coronary calcification is easily detected using MDCT, however, quantification of stenosis is difficult in calcified lesions.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT
Coronary Artery Disease V: Interprofessional Care
Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System III: X-Ray
Definition and Purpose
An X-ray, or radiograph, is a non-invasive method that uses ionizing radiation to take images of internal structures. It is mainly used in cardiac imaging to examine the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels, aiming to identify abnormalities in the heart's size, shape, and position, such as heart failure, congenital defects, and vascular...
Acute Coronary Syndrome IV: Interprofessional Care
