title: Use of cardiac CT and calcium scoring for detecting coronary plaque: implications on prognosis and patient management.
abstract: Clinicians often use risk factor-based calculators to estimate an individual's risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Non-invasive cardiovascular imaging, particularly coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and coronary CT angiography (CTA), allows for direct visualization of coronary atherosclerosis. Among patients without prior coronary artery disease, studies examining CAC and coronary CTA have consistently shown that the presence, extent and severity of coronary atherosclerosis provide additional prognostic information for patients beyond risk factor-based scores alone. This review will highlight the basics of CAC scoring and coronary CTA and discuss their role in impacting patient prognosis and management.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Divakaran
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Cheezum
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Hulten
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bittencourt
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nasir
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blankstein
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium