CAC score may predict heart attack, stroke risk

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring with CT could determine whether patients with heart disease symptoms are at low risk of heart attacks or strokes, according to a study published March 5 in Radiology. The study results could help patients with stable chest pain avoid invasive coronary angiography (ICA), said senior author Marc Dewey, MD, of Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany in a statement released by the RSNA. "[Our] findings suggest that patients with stable chest pain and a coronary artery calcium score of zero may not require invasive coronary angiography using cardiac catheterization because the risk of cardiovascular events is so low," Dewey said. CAC scoring with CT is a noninvasive method for measuring the amount of calcium in the heart arteries, noted a team led by doctoral candidate Federico Biavati, MD, also of Charité. Scores between one and 399 suggest a moderate amount of plaque and those of 400 or higher suggest a large plaque burden. Conversely, the absence of CAC tends to be a reliable indicator of the absence of advanced atherosclerosis. But the role of CAC in patients with stable chest pain remains unclear, Biavati and colleagues explained. To address this knowledge gap, the group conducted a study that explored the prognostic value of CAC scoring for major adverse cardiovascular events in 1,749 individuals with low CAC scores, using data from the Diagnostic Imaging Strategies for Patients With Stable Chest Pain and Intermediate Risk...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Clinical News Subspecialties CT Cardiovascular Radiology Source Type: news