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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
Published on: August 28, 2018
Multislice computed tomographic characteristics of coronary lesions in acute coronary syndromes
Sadako Motoyama1, Takeshi Kondo, Masayoshi Sarai
1Department of Cardiology, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan. sadakom@fujita-hu.ac.jp
Objectives:
To evaluate the feasibility of noninvasive assessment of the characteristics of disrupted atherosclerotic plaques, the authors interrogated the culprit lesions in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) by multislice computed tomography (CT).
Background:
Disrupted atherosclerotic plaques responsible for ACS histopathologically demonstrate large lipid cores and positive vascular remodeling. It is expected that plaques vulnerable to rupture should bear similar imaging signatures by CT.
Methods:
Either 0.5-mm x 16-slice or 64-slice CT was performed in 38 patients with ACS and compared with 33 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) before percutaneous coronary intervention. The coronary plaques in ACS and SAP were evaluated for the CT plaque characteristics, including vessel remodeling, consistency of noncalcified plaque (NCP <30 HU or 30 HU
Results:
In the CT profile of culprit ACS and SAP lesions, the frequency of 30 HU
Conclusions:
The CT characteristics of plaques associated with ACS include positive vascular remodeling, low plaque density, and spotty calcification. It is logical to presume that plaques vulnerable to rupture harbor similar characteristics.
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Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...