Prognostic value of cardiovascular CT: Is coronary artery calcium screening enough? The added value of CCTA

Erick Alexanderson MD, Nadia Canseco-León MD, Fernando Iñarra MD, Aloha Meave MD, Damini Dey PhD
Advances in Nonnuclear Imaging Technologies
Volume 19, Issue 3 / June , 2012

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Abstract

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the primary cause of death in adults in the United States. Only 50% of patients who present with a myocardial infarction have a prior history of CAD. Non-invasive cardiac imaging tests have been developed to diagnose CAD. Current guidelines and systematic reviews have tried to determine the prognostic value of the coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and the coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for major adverse cardiovascular events. Several studies support the roles of CCTA and CAC scoring for the diagnosis of CAD in asymptomatic patients. Further studies are needed to confirm the superior role of CCTA over CAC scoring in symptomatic patients.

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