title: Coronary or thoracic artery calcium score in provoked and unprovoked pulmonary embolism: a case-control study.
abstract: Essentials Patients with unprovoked pulmonary embolism (PE) are at increased risk of arterial thromboembolism. Coronary and thoracic aorta calcium were evaluated in patients with and without (unprovoked) PE. No association was found between (unprovoked) PE and coronary or aortic calcification. Assessment of both calcium scores on computed tomography pulmonary angiography was highly reproducible.
  
  
  
  Objective To evaluate the potential association between (unprovoked) pulmonary embolism (PE) and the presence and extent of coronary artery calcium (CAC) and thoracic aorta calcium (TAC). Methods CAC and TAC derived from computed tomography pulmonary angiography of 100 patients with PE were compared to that of 100 patients in whom PE was ruled out. Results Intraobserver and interobserver agreements for both TAC and CAC were excellent (intraclass correlation > 0.95 for both). In patients with PE vs. patients without PE, no significant differences were found in the presence of CAC or TAC (CAC 64% vs. 67%, odds ratio [OR] 1.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67-1.6; TAC 46% vs. 59%, OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.80-2.1). Mean CAC and TAC scores were significantly lower in patients with PE than in patients without PE (CAC 3.4 vs. 4.9, absolute difference 1.5, 95% CI 0.2-2.8; TAC 1.1 vs. 1.8, absolute difference 0.9, 95% CI 0.2-1.2). No significant differences were found in the presence of CAC or TAC or in mean CAC and TAC scores between patients with unprovoked PE vs. patients with provoked PE, or between patients with unprovoked PE vs. no PE. Conclusion No significant differences were found between the extent of CAC and TAC in patients with unprovoked PE compared to those with provoked PE or without PE. The observed difference in the extend of CAC and TAC between patients with and without PE was dependent on prevalent cardiovascular risk factors.
authors: Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: van der Bijl
authors: Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors: F A
authors: FA
authors: Klok
authors: Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors: M V
authors: MV
authors: Huisman
authors: Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: de Roos
authors: Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors: L J M
authors: LJ
authors: Kroft
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000503:physiopathology; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002114:Calcinosis; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000378:metabolism*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013895:Thoracic Arteries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium
keywords: atherosclerosis; computed tomography; coronary arteries; pulmonary embolism; thoracic aorta