Natural history and impact of interventions on coronary calcium

Abstract

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) has long been known to be associated with atherosclerotic plaque development. Similarly, aortic valve degeneration and calcification appear to follow a pathophysiologic process very similar to atherosclerosis. Noninvasive imaging technologies such as electron beam tomography (EBT) and multi-detector computer tomography (MDCT) scanners allow the accurate detection and quantification of cardiovascular calcification, offering an opportunity to monitor progression of disease. It has recently become apparent that continued progression of CAC is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction and cardiac death, suggesting that there might be some utility for sequential imaging. Therefore, researchers have investigated the utilization of cardiac CT imaging to follow the progression of cardiovascular calcification in a variety of clinical settings. In this chapter, a review of the studies published to date on the use of CT technology to follow progression of CAC is presented. © 2010 Springer-Verlag London Limited.