Plaque Assessment on Serial Coronary CTA

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review addresses the role of serial coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) on the evaluation of atherosclerosis progression, risk stratification, and targeting individual pharmacotherapy.Recent FindingsThe presence, extent, and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) detected by coronary CTA are associated with an adverse prognosis. Similarly, the presence of high-risk plaque features such as positive remodeling, low-attenuation plaque, spotty calcifications, and napkin-ring sign are associated with major adverse cardiac events. More recently, examinations using serial coronary CTA have also shown that these static CTA plaque features are associated with a more rapid progression of atherosclerosis on follow-up imaging and may identify a subset of patients at increased risk for plaque rupture. While the impact of serial CTA findings on management and hard outcomes remains a topic of ongoing investigation, available data supports the ability of statin therapy to reduce CTA-identified plaque burden and modify plaque composition.SummaryCoronary CTA identifies various plaque features associated with an increased risk of plaque progression and adverse cardiac events. Available data support the use of CTA to individualize statin therapy and utilize serial CTA imaging to study the impact of pharmacotherapy on plaque burden and outcomes.

Source: Current Cardiovascular Imaging Reports - February 14, 2019 Category: Radiology Source Type: research