Objective To evaluate the accuracy of visual analysis and of the coronary artery
calcium (CAC) score in nontriggered computed tomography (CT), in comparison
with that of the CAC score in electrocardiogram-triggered CT, in identifying
coronary calcification.Materials and Methods A total of 174 patients for whom CT was indicated for CAC scoring underwent
nontriggered and triggered CT in a 64-channel multislice scanner, in a
single session without a change in position. The images were interpreted by
a radiologist with seven years of experience in thoracic and cardiovascular
radiology. The measurement of coronary calcium was carried out by three
methods: CAC score with dedicated software in nontriggered CT, CAC score
with dedicated software in triggered CT, and visual analysis without
dedicated software in nontriggered CT.Results In nontriggered CT, the CAC score presented an accuracy of 95.98% (95% CI:
91.93-98.04). The visual analysis showed an accuracy of 97.13% (95% CI:
93.45-98.77).Conclusion Nontriggered CT showed excellent accuracy in the identification and
exclusion of coronary calcification, either the CAC score was determined
with dedicated software or through visual analysis.