title: Distribution of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with coronary artery disease.
abstract: The distribution of coronary atherosclerosis has not been fully clarified. We measured coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in 624 consecutive patients for the right coronary artery (RCA), left main trunk (LMT), left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), and left circumflex coronary artery (LCx), then calculated total CACS. Coronary artery calcium score was measured using the Agatston method. We divided these patients into four groups: CACS 1-100 (Group A, n = 267), CACS 101-400 (Group B, n = 160), CACS 401-1000 (Group C, n = 110), and CACS >1000 (Group D, n = 87). In Group A, B, and C, the CACS in LAD was significantly higher than in the other three arteries (P < 0.0001). In Group D, the CACS was not significantly different between LAD and RCA (P = 0.6930). In Groups A, B, and C, coronary artery calcium (CAC) was more frequently found in LAD compared with other arteries (P < 0.0001). However, in Group D the prevalence of CAC was not significantly different among the three arteries (P = 0.4435). Coronary artery calcium was found more frequently in LAD than in the other coronary arteries in patients with mild to high CAC, but not in those with very high CAC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Okayama Central Hospital, 6-3 Ishimakitamachi, Okayama 700-0017, Japan. iwasaki_k@kohjin.ne.jp
authors.forename: Kohichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aono
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Keima
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagamachi
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samukawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed