[Coronary heart disease risk assessment in asymptomatic patients]

Coronary heart disease is the main cause of death in developed countries. At least 25% of coronary patients have sudden death or nonfatal myocardial infarction without prior symptoms. Risk stratification identifies patients at risk for coronary events. Evaluations should begin with patient's clinical history, but some patients benefit from noninvasive cardiac imaging evaluation. The aim of this paper is to review the main indications for noninvasive cardiac imaging in risk assessment of asymptomatic patients.