The coronary calcium score is a more accurate predictor of significant coronary stenosis than conventional risk factors in symptomatic patients : Euro-CCAD study

• Aims: In this retrospective study we assessed the predictive value of the coronary calcium score for significant (>50%) stenosis relative to conventional risk factors. Methods and Results: We investigated 5515 symptomatic patients from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA. All had risk factor assessment, computed tomographic coronary angiogram (CTCA) or conventional angiography and a CT scan for coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring. 1539 (27.9%) patients had significant stenosis, 5.50 of whom had zero CAC. In 5074 patients, multiple binary regression showed the most important predictor of significant stenosis to be male gender (B = 1.07) followed by diabetes mellitus (B = 0.70) smoking, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, family history of CAD and age but not obesity. When the log transformed CAC score was included, it became the most powerful predictor (B = 1.25), followed by male gender (B = 0.48), diabetes, smoking, family history and age but hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension lost significance. The CAC score is a more accurate predictor of >50% stenosis than risk factors regardless of the means of assessment of stenosis. The sensitivity of risk factors, CAC score and the combination for prediction of >50% stenosis when measured by conventional angiogram was considerably higher than when assessed by CTCA but the specificity was considerably higher when assessed by CTCA. The accuracy of CTCA for predicting >50% stenosis using the CAC score alone was higher (AUC 0.85) than using a combination of the CAC score and risk factors with conventional angiography (AUC 0.81). Conclusion: In symptomatic patients, the CAC score is a more accurate predictor of significant coronary stenosis than conventional risk factors.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Radiologi och bildbehandling (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Atherosclerosis

Coronary calcification

Risk factors

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

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