Abstract

Importance of coronary artery calcium score in clinical practice

Author(s): Sirous Darabian, Panteha Rezaeian, Muhammad Aamir Latif, Ramin Hormoz Diaran and Matthew Budoff

Similar to mammography in screening of breast cancer, coronary artery calcium (CAC) scanning could be used for the screening of at-risk patients for coronary artery disease (CAD). Strong correlations between CAC score and CAD have been established. CAC allows for early identification of atherosclerosis to permit early targeting of lifestyle and pharmacologic intervention for heart disease. The predictive value of CAC score differs in population with different pretest probability for CAD. In addition, combination of CAC score with other risk factors may produce a model with higher predictive value for presence, severity and future events of cardiovascular disease. We reviewed all correlated published studies indexed in PubMed during the last 5 years to combine with older, generally accepted concepts to establish the most valid current role for CAC testing.