title: Total atherosclerotic burden by whole body magnetic resonance angiography predicts major adverse cardiovascular events.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the Total Atherosclerotic Score (TAS), a measurement of the overall atherosclerotic burden of the arterial tree by whole body magnetic resonance angiography (WBMRA), and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke and/or coronary revascularization, assuming that TAS predicts MACE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  305 randomly selected 70 year-old subjects (47% women) underwent WBMRA. Their atherosclerotic burden was evaluated and TAS > 0, that is atherosclerotic changes, were found in 68% of subjects. During follow-up (mean 4.8 years), MACE occurred in 25 subjects (8.2%). Adjusting for multiple risk factors, TAS was associated with MACE (OR 8.86 for any degree of vessel lumen abnormality, 95%CI 1.14-69.11, p = 0.037). In addition, TAS improved discrimination and reclassification when added to the Framingham risk score (FRS), and ROC (Receiver Operator Curve) increased from 0.681 to 0.750 (p = 0.0421).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a population-based sample of 70 year old men and women WBMRA, with TAS, predicted MACE independently of major cardiovascular risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Uppsala University hospital, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden. Christina.Lundberg@radiol.uu.se
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lundberg
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Charlotte Ebeling
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Barbier
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ahlström
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology