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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

Severe coronary artery calcifications are associated with ischemia in patients undergoing medical therapy

John Ho1, Shannon FitzGerald, Lisa Stolfus

  • 1Cooper Clinic, Dallas, TX 75230, USA. jsho@cooper-clinic.com

Journal of Nuclear Cardiology : Official Publication of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
|June 9, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) scoring can identify obstructive heart disease in patients undergoing medical therapy. A CAC score over 400 indicates a higher likelihood of ischemia, warranting further evaluation.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Medical Imaging
  • Preventive Cardiology

Background:

  • The utility of coronary artery calcification (CAC) scoring is debated in patients receiving medical therapy.
  • These patients often have underestimated risk for obstructive coronary artery disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if CAC scoring adds value to the assessment of patients undergoing medical therapy.
  • To evaluate the association between CAC scores and myocardial perfusion imaging abnormalities.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of 703 patients with CAC scoring and myocardial perfusion imaging.
  • Assessed associations between risk factors, CAC scores, and inducible ischemia.

Main Results:

  • Prevalence of inducible ischemia increased with higher CAC scores (0.8% for CAC 0-10 to 15.1% for CAC >1000).
  • CAC score >400 was associated with a 3.0-fold increased odds of ischemia after risk factor adjustment.

Conclusions:

  • A CAC score exceeding 400 is linked to ischemia in patients on optimal medical therapy.
  • Significant CAC detection in this population necessitates further ischemia evaluation.
Abstract

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