[Cardiovascular imaging in preventive medicine]

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Medical Imaging
• Preventive Cardiology

Context:

• Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death in Europeans, often progressing silently.
• Current treatments focus on risk reduction but often fall short in capturing individual disease progression.
• Traditional risk factors like hypertension and lipid disorders lack precision in predicting individual atherosclerotic trajectories.

Purpose:

• To highlight the limitations of traditional risk factor assessment in atherosclerosis.
• To emphasize the value of advanced imaging in evaluating preclinical atherosclerotic disease.
• To advocate for individualized risk stratification using imaging-derived surrogate markers.

Summary:

• Atherosclerosis is a major cause of mortality, necessitating improved preventive strategies.
• Advanced imaging modalities offer superior insights into the atherosclerotic process compared to traditional risk factors.
• These imaging techniques provide validated surrogate parameters for assessing preclinical disease and guiding preventive interventions.

Impact:

• Individualized risk stratification using imaging can enhance primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerosis.
• This approach promises more cost-effective and personalized cardiovascular risk management.
• Improved preclinical detection through imaging may reduce atherosclerosis-related mortality and morbidity.