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Author Spotlight: Advancing Cardiovascular Imaging - Introducing the Spatially Weighted Calcium Score for Early Disease Detection
Published on: September 22, 2023
Coronary risk assessment using traditional risk factors with CT coronary artery calcium scoring in clinical practice
Edmund Kenneth Kerut1,2, Michael E Hall1, Michael C Turner3
1Division of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, MS, USA.
Insights
Coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) identifies atherosclerosis, predicting cardiovascular disease risk in asymptomatic individuals. This tool aids clinicians in guiding preventative therapies and lifestyle changes, especially for intermediate-risk patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Preventative Medicine
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Coronary artery calcium (CAC) represents atherosclerosis, not merely a marker of cardiovascular (CV) disease.
- CAC scoring (CACS) is a robust predictor of CV event risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the clinical utility of CACS in assessing CV risk.
- To emphasize the role of CACS in guiding preventative strategies for asymptomatic individuals.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing CACS measurements in asymptomatic patients.
- Integrating CACS with traditional CV risk factors (age, sex, ethnicity, diabetes, tobacco use, family history, lipids, blood pressure, medications) into predictive models.
- Employing a smartphone application for rapid CACS acquisition and utilization.
Main Results:
- CACS is a strong predictor of 10-year CV event risk.
- Smartphone application facilitates quick CACS assessment and application.
- CACS measurement provides significant benefit for patients at intermediate CV risk.
Conclusions:
- CACS measurement is integral to CV risk assessment.
- CACS aids clinicians in recommending lifestyle changes and statin therapy.
- The integration of CACS enhances personalized preventative cardiology.
Abstract:
As coronary artery calcium (CAC) is atherosclerosis and not just a marker of cardiovascular (CV) disease, measurement of a patient's coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is a strong predictor of risk. Clinically performed in asymptomatic patients, the CACS, along with several CV risk factors, namely age, sex, ethnicity, diabetes, tobacco use, family history, cholesterol level, blood pressure, and use of cholesterol or hypertensive medications, provide a predictive model of 10 year risk for CV events. A smartphone "App" makes this quick to obtain and use. This helps the clinician in making recommendations for both lifestyle changes and statin therapy. Those patients in which the most benefit occur from measurement of a CACS are those at an intermediate CV risk. Measurement of the CACS has become an integral part of the clinician's assessment of a patient's CV risk and for guiding preventative therapies.
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