title: [Coronary artery calcium identified by multislice TC as marker of early coronary artery disease].
abstract: Approximately one-half of acute myocardial infarctions occur in patients with no history of coronary artery disease (CAD), and nearly two-third are due to thrombosis occurred on mild to moderate coronary stenosis. So, early noninvasive identification of CAD is mandatory for identifying patient at high risk of coronary events. The extension of coronary artery calcium (CAC), strictly associated with mural atheromatous plaque, is a novel tool for identifying subjects with early CAD and correlates with overall magnitude of atherosclerosis plaque burden. CAC strongly correlates with the risk of future coronary events. Electron-beam tomography (EBT) was the first noninvasive tool for detecting and quantifying CAC; more recently, multislice spiral CT faster x-ray tube rotation time, allow the use of CAC detection also in the clinical setting, out of specialized, research centers. CAC scanning affords the opportunity of accurate and noninvasive detection of patients with early CAD, with high probability of coronary events. Moreover, CAC scoring is repeatable and allows the monitoring of plaque burden during the follow-up and the effects of the treatment. Finally, there is not yet a consensus about the use of CAC scoring in the clinical setting and, at present, CAC may not be considered alternative to stress testing or angiography to diagnose CAD. The purpose of this review is to provide a background information regarding CAC scanning and its current and future applications.
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Cardiologia, Ospedale S. Sebastiano, Correggio.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iori
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bendinelli
authors.forename: Pompilio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Faggiano
mesh_terms: D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D012306:Risk; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed