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Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
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Published on: August 28, 2018

Total coronary artery plaque burden measured by cardiac computed tomography is associated with metabolic syndrome

Masaaki Konishi1, Seigo Sugiyama, Koichi Sugamura

  • 1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.

Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis
|July 26, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac CT can quantify total coronary plaque burden (TCPB), a key factor in atherothrombotic events. Higher TCPB is linked to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and is greater in men, aiding in identifying high-risk patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Imaging
  • Radiology
  • Preventive Cardiology

Background:

  • Increased coronary plaque burden contributes to atherothrombotic events.
  • Evaluating plaque volume in all three major coronary arteries is challenging.
  • Noncalcified plaques are a focus in coronary artery disease assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify total coronary plaque burden (TCPB) using 64-slice computed tomography (CT).
  • To assess the association between TCPB and cardiovascular risk factors.
  • To determine the utility of CT-derived TCPB in identifying high-risk individuals.

Main Methods:

  • A novel protocol was used to measure coronary plaque volume in 23 patients undergoing cardiac CT.
  • Noncalcified plaque volume was quantified by counting total pixels in the three major coronary arteries.
  • Correlations between TCPB and clinical parameters were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Mean coronary plaque volumes were: 1.29 ± 0.56 cm³ (RCA), 1.29 ± 0.42 cm³ (LM-LAD), and 0.88 ± 0.32 cm³ (LCx).
  • Total coronary plaque burden (TCPB) averaged 3.45 ± 1.02 cm³/patient.
  • TCPB positively correlated with waist circumference and insulin resistance (p < 0.05).
  • TCPB was significantly higher in men, patients with diabetes/impaired glucose tolerance, and those with metabolic syndrome (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Cardiac CT enables noninvasive assessment of total coronary plaque burden (TCPB).
  • TCPB is significantly associated with metabolic syndrome and its components.
  • Measuring TCPB by CT is a valuable strategy for identifying patients at high risk for coronary artery disease.
Abstract

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