title: How much calcium is too much calcium for coronary computerized tomographic angiography?
abstract: The coronary artery calcium (CAC) score above which it is recommended that coronary computerized tomographic angiography (CTA) not be performed has been steadily increasing. Currently, calcium scores > 1000 are thought to prohibit CTA accurate interpretation. However, a reasoned approach suggests that there is no absolute upper limit that applies to all patients and imaging centers. To anticipate the problems posed by calcium, a CAC scan must be obtained before CTA. Understanding the clinical goals of the CTA and the source and recognition of CAC-based imaging artifacts can enable accurate clinical CTA examinations even in the setting of high calcium scores.
authors.affiliation: Lenox Hill Heart and Vascular Institute, NY 10021 USA. hhecht@aol.com
authors.forename: Harvey S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.forename: Tandeep
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bhatti
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*