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Abdominal aortic aneurysm calcification: trying to identify a reliable semiquantitative method
Marina Dias-Neto1,2, Emmanuel Neves3, Fábio Sousa-Nunes4
1Department of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, São João Hospital Center, Porto, Portugal - marina_f_neto@hotmail.com.
The Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery
|February 13, 2018
Summary
The Aortic Calcification Index (ACI) is a fast and reliable method for measuring abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). It shows strong correlation and agreement, making it suitable for research settings.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Radiology
- Vascular Surgery
Background:
- Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) assessment is crucial in managing abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs).
- Current methods include semiquantitative and computerized scoring, such as the Agatston Score (AS).
- The correlation and clinical utility of different AAC measurement methods require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the correlation between semiquantitative (Aortic Calcification Index - ACI, AAC-8, AAC-24) and computerized (Agatston Score - AS) methods for measuring AAC in AAA patients.
- To assess differences in AAC based on clinical variables using various calcium scoring methods.
Main Methods:
- Observational, retrospective, cross-sectional study of 102 AAA patients undergoing elective repair (2008-2015).
- Preoperative imaging data were used to measure AAC via AS, ACI, AAC-8, and AAC-24.
- Pearson's correlation and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were employed for analysis.
Main Results:
- ACI demonstrated a high correlation with AS (0.816), outperforming AAC-8 (0.703) and AAC-24 (0.648).
- ACI exhibited superior intraobserver (0.972) and interobserver (0.966) agreement.
- ACI showed greater association with demographic and clinical variables compared to the computerized method.
Conclusions:
- The Aortic Calcification Index (ACI) is a recommended, user-friendly method for assessing AAC in AAA patients.
- ACI's high reliability and correlation make it suitable for research applications in AAA studies.
- ACI may be preferred over other semiquantitative methods for AAC evaluation in research settings.
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