Incidence of Coronary Atherosclerosis Plaques in Patients Showing Thoracic Aortic Calcifications on a Low Dose Chest CT Scan

Abstract

Introduction: Thoracic aortic calcification (TAC) and coronary artery disease (CAD) share the same risk factors. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the incidence of CAD on coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) when TAC are present on low dose chest computed tomography (LDCT).Methods: Patients underwent a LDCT with either a CACS or CCTA. Visual assessment of TAC was done for the LDCT, while imaging reports were reviewed for CACS and CCTA findings.Results: Among 504 patients, 50.2% underwent a CCTA and 49.8% a CACS. Out of the 504 patients, 280 patients (55.6%) had TAC. 71.4% of patients with TAC were males, and the mean age of patients with TAC was high (mean = 60.9 ± 10.2 years) compared to patients with no TAC (mean = 46.9 ± 8.4 years) (p < 0.001). The mean calcium score (mean = 262.6 ± 555.9 mg/Dl) and the rate of abnormal CCTA (81.3%) were higher in patients with TAC compared to non-TAC patients (36.8%) (p < 0.001). Conclusion:Our study showed that patients with TAC had a positive CACS that was higher than the one in patients without TAC. Moreover, patients with TAC had abnormal findings on CCTA.