Preventing Heart Disease via Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring to Make a Definitive Diagnosis of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

Purpose: Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the Western world. The purpose of this manuscript is to compare the benefits and deficiencies of coronary artery calcium scanning versus computer generated risk equations in identifying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. These two approaches provide significantly different cardiovascular risk assessments and often lead to therapeutic differences in recommendations from the physician to the patient. Methods: Pertinent medical literature is reviewed concerning both risk assessment approaches (i.e., coronary artery scanning and computer generated risk equations). The strengths and weaknesses of both approaches are discussed, and recommendations are provided based upon available data. Results: Cardiovascular risk equations are simple and readily obtained at no charge by physicians. However, their drawbacks are several, including non-applicability to specific populations, disagreements among different cardiovascular society risk equations, wide ranges of risk outputs (e.g., intermediate 10-year risk is between 5% and 20%), inability to definitively identify coronary artery plaques, and lack of definitive anatomical coronary disease. Alternatively, coronary artery calcium scanning costs approximately $100/scan (if not covered by insurance), requires time and effort by the patient, and exposes the patient to a minimal amount of radiation. However, coronary calcium scanning identifies specific atherosclerotic coronary disease and provides additional information about the anatomical location (i.e., coronary artery) of the atherosclerotic plaque. Conclusion: Based on the published literature, coronary artery calcium scanning is the preferred approach for identifying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Although there are minor drawbacks, overall it provides superior clinical information compared with computer generated risk equations.