Prognostic implications of absolute and relative calcium scores.
BACKGROUND
The continuing epidemic of cardiovascular disease underscores the need for more effective atherosclerosis detection and prevention. In fact, though the mortality rate decreased during the past decades, the morbidity rate continued to climb. The use of conventional risk factors is helpful to assess the median risk of a population, but it is unsatisfactory to estimate the actual risk of an individual patient.
As a consequence, modern imaging technologies able to detect silent atherosclerotic disease have elicited a strong interest in the medical community with the hope that they may render risk stratification more accurate. Technologies such as electron beam tomography (EBT) are expected to bridge the gap between the mere presence of risk factors for disease development and assessment of the actual individual risk of events based on the visualization and quantification of silent disease.


CONCLUSIONS
The medical literature is currently pervaded by a vivacious debate regarding the ability of EBT to provide such information as some investigators still hold concerns about the cost and effectiveness of a preventive approach driven by technology.
Raggi
P
P
Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA. praggi@tulane.edu
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed