AI-Guided Cardiac Computer Tomography in Type 1 Diabetes Patients with Low Coronary Artery Calcium Score

Cardiovascular risk stratification based on traditional risk factors lacks precision at the individual level. While coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring enhances risk prediction by detecting calcified atherosclerotic plaques, it may underestimate risk in individuals with noncalcified plaques-a pattern common in younger type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients. Understanding the prevalence of noncalcified atherosclerosis in T1D is crucial for developing more effective screening strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the burden of clinically significant atherosclerosis in T1D patients with CAC <100 using artificial intelligence (AI)-guided quantitative coronary computed tomographic angiography (AI-QCT).

This study enrolled T1D patients aged ≥30 years with disease duration ≥10 years and no manifest or symptomatic atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). CAC and carotid ultrasound were assessed in all participants. AI-QCT was performed in patients with CAC 0 and at least one plaque in the carotid arteries or those with CAC 1-99.

Among the 167 participants (mean age 52 ± 10 years; 44% women; T1D duration 29 ± 11 years), 93 (56%) had CAC = 0, 46 (28%) had CAC 1-99, 8 (5%) had CAC 100-299, and 20 (12%) had CAC ≥300. AI-QCT was performed in a subset of 52 patients. Only 11 (21%) had no evidence of coronary artery disease. Significant coronary stenosis was identified in 17% of patients, and 30 (73%) presented with at least one high-risk plaque. Compared with CAC-based risk categories, AI-QCT reclassified 58% of patients, and 21% compared with the STENO1 risk categories. There was only fair agreement between AI-QCT and CAC (κ = 0.25), and a slight agreement between AI-QCT and STENO1 risk categories (κ = 0.02).

AI-QCT may reveal subclinical atherosclerotic burden and high-risk features that remain undetected by traditional risk models or CAC. These findings challenge the assumption that a low CAC score equates to a low cardiovascular risk in T1D.