Methods of plaque quantification and characterization by cardiac computed tomography

The pathologic evolution of coronary artery atherosclerosis occurs slowly over decades, which may provide an opportunity for diagnostic imaging to identify patients before clinical events evolve. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is an emerging noninvasive imaging tool, which can visualize the entire coronary tree with submillimeter resolution. We reviewed the current status of cardiac CT to qualitatively and quantitatively determine coronary plaque dimensions and composition, and its potential to improve our understanding of the natural history of coronary artery disease as well as prevention of cardiovascular events.