title: [Application of MSCT's coronary artery calcification score in evaluation of sudden death caused by coronary artery disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To access application value of multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) and coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) in investigation the coronary artery disease (CAD), and to explore the effective way of virtual autopsy to evaluate the sudden death due to CAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine cases of sudden cardiac death were collected to analyze MSCT before the autopsy. The quantitative analysis of the degree of coronary artery calcium was made by Agatston's method. The CACS of all the subjects were calculated based on the diagnostic criteria for CAD, in which calcium scoring was more than 400. The results of CACS were compared with that of the autopsy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 2 cases got the high calcium scoring which were more than 400 in the 9 cases died of CAD confirmed by the autopsy. The prediction rate of CACS for CAD was only 22.2%. Pulmonary edema of different severity was found in both autopsy and MSCT. There was a higher morbidity rate in the left anterior descending of coronary artery than the other branches.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obvious calcification of coronary artery can be detected by MSCT and calculating CACS. To detect subtle calcification needs other technologies such as postmortem angiography.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Chong-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.forename: Ning-Guo
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wen-Tao
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Ya-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Guang-You
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*