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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Imaging of Aortic Calcification and Inflammation
Published on: May 31, 2016
Quantitative Abdominal Aortic Calcification Morphology Is Associated with Lumen Geometry
Gianna Elci1, Zoraiz Bukhari1, Pasani Dharmasena1
1Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, USA.
Introduction:
Calcification morphology is increasingly studied in coronary arteries but remains poorly characterized in the abdominal aorta. Whether morphology provides information beyond total calcium burden is unclear. We used micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) with near-histologic resolution to characterize abdominal aortic calcification morphology and evaluate its relationship with local lumen geometry.
Methods:
Abdominal aortic specimens from 19 cadavers were imaged using micro-CT, yielding 26 lesions and 201 cross-sectional slices. Calcification was classified as concentric or eccentric based on circumferential arc. Measurements included calcium thickness, area, and arc, along with lumen area. Associations were assessed using linear mixed-effects models to account for clustering within lesions and specimens (effect estimates reported as β).
Results:
Lumen area did not differ by morphologic classification. Greater calcium thickness (β [95% CI] = -10.076 [-16.539, -3.613]; p = 0.002), area (β = -0.403 [-0.803, -0.003]; p = 0.049), and arc (β = -0.080 [-0.138, -0.022]; p = 0.007) were each associated with smaller lumen area. In sensitivity analyses, associations for thickness and arc remained significant, whereas the association for area was attenuated.
Conclusion:
Quantitative morphologic features were inversely associated with lumen area, suggesting that calcification morphology may provide structural information beyond total calcium burden.
