Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring: a Valuable Aid in Shared Decision Making Among Non-traditional Risk Markers

Anurag Mehta, Michael J. Blaha, Joseph Miller, Parag H. Joshi

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose of the Review: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and compare it with other non-traditional cardiovascular risk markers for improvement in cardiovascular risk assessment. Recent Findings: CAC scoring refines risk assessment among asymptomatic patients eligible for primary prevention across the spectrum of cardiovascular risk. Its use has been well-validated in several multi-ethnic population-based cohorts. With the recent ACC/AHA cholesterol treatment guidelines expanding the eligibility for statin therapy for primary prevention, the absence of CAC can be a powerful tool for identifying those at lower risk of future cardiovascular events. CAC is superior to other non-traditional risk markers recognized by the current risk assessment guidelines for re-classifying patients to appropriate risk categories and improving discrimination of risk beyond traditional risk factors. Summary: CAC scoring is a reliable decision-making tool for improving cardiovascular risk assessment and performs better than other non-traditional risk markers, particularly when used to identify those at lower risk (i.e., CAC = 0).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number33
JournalCurrent Cardiovascular Imaging Reports
Volume10
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2017

Keywords

  • Cardiovascular risk assessment
  • Coronary artery calcium
  • Non-traditional risk factors
  • Prevention

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Histology
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
  • Cell Biology

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