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In Vivo Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Structure, Function, Perfusion and Viability Using Cardiac Micro-computed Tomography
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Published on: February 16, 2016

Lack of correlation between coronary artery calcium and myocardial perfusion imaging

Jonathan Rosman1, Michael Shapiro, Anuragini Pandey

  • 1Beth Israel Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. jrosman@chpnet.org

Journal of Nuclear Cardiology : Official Publication of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
|June 6, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) are complementary, not exclusionary, for assessing coronary artery disease risk. Studies show no direct correlation between CAC scores and MPI results.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Radiology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Coronary artery calcium (CAC) indicates atherosclerosis and has prognostic value.
  • Previous research on CAC and coronary artery stenosis has yielded inconclusive results.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between CAC scoring and stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI).
  • To determine if CAC is a reliable predictor of abnormal MPI results.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated 126 patients undergoing electron beam computed tomography CAC scoring (Agatston method).
  • Assessed patients with stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) within a 3-month interval.
  • Analyzed correlations between absolute and adjusted CAC scores with MPI findings.

Main Results:

  • No correlation was found between CAC scores (absolute or adjusted) and MPI results.
  • 18% of patients exhibited abnormal MPI results, independent of their CAC score.

Conclusions:

  • CAC scoring and stress MPI are complementary diagnostic tools for coronary artery disease risk assessment.
  • Neither method should be used exclusively; they offer distinct but valuable information.
Abstract

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