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Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
04:40

Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans

Published on: August 28, 2018

15.5K

Ordinal Scoring of Coronary Artery Calcification by Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography in Acute Pulmonary

Muhsin Nuh Aybay1, Ahmet Peker1, Muhammed Keskin2

  • 1From the Department of Radiology, Mardin State Hospital, Mardin.

Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography
|August 4, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is frequent in acute pulmonary embolism patients, particularly those with right ventricular dilation (RVD). Left-sided CAC is linked to RVD, suggesting a connection between these conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Radiology
  • Pulmonology

Background:

  • Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a critical condition affecting the pulmonary arteries.
  • Right ventricular dilation (RVD) is a known complication of acute PE.
  • The role of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in acute PE is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the prevalence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in patients diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism (PE).
  • To investigate the correlation between CAC and right ventricular dilation (RVD) in acute PE patients.
  • To determine the association of CAC with mortality in the acute PE cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) scans from 330 acute PE patients.
  • Assessment of pulmonary artery computed tomography obstruction index (PACTOI), right/left ventricle diameter ratio, pulmonary trunk diameter, and CAC score.
  • Statistical analysis to identify correlations between variables and outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Patients with RVD exhibited significantly higher age, urea, D-dimer levels, pulmonary trunk diameter, and PACTOI.
  • An increased CAC score was significantly associated with higher mortality (P = 0.038).
  • Left-sided CAC was observed more frequently in patients with RVD (P = 0.008).

Conclusions:

  • Coronary artery calcification is prevalent in patients with acute PE, especially those with coexisting RVD.
  • A significant association exists between right ventricular dilation and left-sided coronary artery calcification in acute PE.
  • CAC may serve as a potential imaging biomarker in the risk stratification of acute PE patients.
Abstract

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