Abstract

THE IMPORTANCE OF CALCIUM SCORING IN CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PATIENTS : A REVIEW ARTICLE

Patel Mausam and Bhatt Parloop*

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this review is to examine the importance of calcium scoring for coronary artery disease (CAD) as a screening tool for identifying the presence and extent of calcified plaque in coronary artery. Coronary artery calcium scoring (CAC) is a non - invasive calcification estimation of the coronary artery using computed tomography (CT) [electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) or multi - detector computed tomography (MDCT)]. This review describes the risk factors of CAC scoring in CAD patients, Interpretation of calcium scoring, Traditional CAC scoring methods, Risk implication of CAC. Then we discuss about risks and benefits of CAC scoring, stratification of coronary risk and relationship of the CAC score to other clinical scores and different guidelines regarding CAC scoring.

Keywords: Coronary artery calcium scoring, Coronary artery disease, Electronic beam computed tomography (EBCT), Multi detector computer tomography (MDCT), coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), Dual-source computed tomography (DSCT).