Vascular age based on coronary calcium burden and carotid intima media thickness (a comparative study)

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Vascular Health
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Vascular age is crucial for cardiovascular event risk assessment.
• Multiple methods exist for estimating vascular age.
• Comparing these methods is essential for accurate risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare vascular age estimation using coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) and carotid ultrasonography (specifically, CIMT).
• To determine the correlation between vascular age derived from CACS and CIMT.
• To assess the utility of CACS and CIMT in vascular age determination.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 115 patients in Isfahan who underwent both CACS and CIMT assessments within 30 days.
• Vascular age was calculated using established formulas based on CACS and CIMT measurements.
• Statistical analysis was performed to compare the two methods.

Main Results:

• The mean chronological age was 59.08 years.
• Mean vascular age derived from CACS was 58.64 years, while from CIMT it was 53.99 years.
• Vascular age estimated by CACS showed a direct relationship with vascular age estimated by CIMT (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Coronary artery calcium scoring is a valuable tool for estimating vascular age.
• Carotid intima-media thickness is also effective for vascular age estimation.
• Both CACS and CIMT demonstrate comparable utility in assessing vascular age.