title: Coronary calcium: new insights, recent data, and clinical role.
abstract: Calcium artery calcium (CAC) scoring has become an integral part in the era of preventive cardiology, it has been extensively studied and been validated as a powerful tool for cardiovascular risk assessment in conjunction with other traditional well established scoring systems such as Framingham risk score. In addition, CAC testing has found its way into emergency department algorithms assessing low to intermediate risk patients presenting with chest pain, this strategy was recently adopted by the UK NICE guidelines, confidently ruling out cardiac origin of chest pain. Several studies have demonstrated that risk assessment using CAC was motivational to patients leading to better adherence to their preventive practices as well as to medications. Accordingly, this test has several recommendations for use by national and international guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA. gyoussef@labiomed.org
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Youssef
authors.forename: Nove
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalia
authors.forename: Sirous
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Darabian
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Budoff
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods