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Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
04:40

Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans

Published on: August 28, 2018

Assessment of coronary plaque morphology by contrast-enhanced computed tomographic angiography: comparison with

Margaret Leila Rasouli1, David M Shavelle, William J French

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA.

Coronary Artery Disease
|May 19, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Computed tomographic (CT) angiography accurately identifies coronary artery plaque. This noninvasive imaging technique reliably determines plaque composition, aiding in clinical trials for plaque-modifying therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Imaging
  • Radiology
  • Medical Diagnostics

Background:

  • Computed tomographic (CT) angiography is established for noninvasive coronary artery stenosis assessment.
  • The capability of CT angiography in characterizing plaque morphology requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the accuracy of CT angiography in determining coronary artery plaque morphology.
  • To compare CT angiography findings with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) for plaque characterization.

Main Methods:

  • Twelve patients with clinical indications for IVUS underwent CT angiography.
  • Plaque morphology was classified (soft, fibrous, fibrocalcific, calcific) and compared between CT angiography and IVUS.
  • CT angiography data were analyzed for plaque presence and morphology, blindly compared to IVUS segment-by-segment.

Main Results:

  • CT angiography demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 90% specificity for detecting any plaque.
  • For classifying calcified versus noncalcified plaque, CT angiography achieved 100% sensitivity and 94% specificity.
  • Overall accuracy for CT angiography in determining plaque morphology was 92%, with significant differences in CT density values across plaque types (P<0.0001).

Conclusions:

  • CT angiography accurately characterizes coronary artery plaque morphology.
  • CT angiography shows promise as a noninvasive tool for evaluating plaque morphology, particularly in therapeutic drug trials.
Abstract

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