title: Coronary artery calcium scanning: the key to the primary prevention of coronary artery disease.
abstract: Coronary artery calcium scanning (CAC) is the most powerful prognosticator of cardiac risk in the asymptomatic primary prevention population, far exceeding the role of risk factor-based paradigms. The primary utility of risk factors is to identify treatable targets for risk reduction after risk has been determined by CAC. Serial calcium scanning to evaluate progression of calcified plaque is useful for determining the response to treatment. The 2013 cholesterol treatment guidelines understate the value of CAC scanning for atherosclerotic disease risk assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA. Electronic address: harvey.hecht@mountsinai.org.
authors.forename: Harvey S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Hecht
mesh_terms: D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Calcium scanning; Coronary artery disease