Mulitmedia Library
Higher coronary artery calcium score is associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation recurrence after catheter ablation
Coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) development, but scarce data are available regarding the impact on AF recurrence. This study aims to assess the impact of CACS on AF recurrence following catheter ablation.Cumulative exposure amount of PM2.5 in the ambient air is associated with coronary atherosclerosis - Serial coronary CT angiography study
TOC SUMMARY: It is unclear how air pollution contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the change of coronary atherosclerosis using serial CCTAs in relation to the cumulative amount of PM2.5 exposure between the two CCTAs in 3,127 healthy adults. Coronary calcification progressed in 1,361 (43.5%) subjects with a positive relationship between the cumulative amount of PM2.5 exposure and CACS. The cumulative amount of PM2.5 exposure, rather than the average concentration of PM2.5, was independently associated with progression of coronary calcification and diffuse development of de novo calcified plaques, with its impact higher than any other traditional cardiovascular risk factors.Detection of small coronary calcifications in patients with Agatston coronary artery calcium score of zero
The conventional Agatston coronary artery calcium score (CACS) method may fail to detect very small or less dense calcified plaques; smaller than 3 continuous pixels (1 mm2) or with a density lower than 130 Hounsfield Units (HU). A significant proportion of patients classified as CACS = 0, could potentially be reclassified as >0 by altering these thresholds. The increased sensitivity with lower HU threshold comes at a cost of reduced specificity by introducing false positive (noise) cases. Modifying the threshold to <1 mm 2 and HU > 120, allows 12.1% of patients with CACS = 0 to be reclassified as CACS> 0 while introducing only 0.9% of noise.Prognostic value of myocardial perfusion imaging after first-line coronary computed tomography angiography: A multi-center cohort study
Further diagnostic testing may be required after a coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) showing suspected coronary stenosis. Whether myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) provides further prognostic information post-CTA remains debated. We evaluated the prognosis for patients completing CTA stratified for post-CTA diagnostic work-up using real-world data.Predictive value of the coronary artery calcium score and advanced plaque characteristics: Post hoc analysis of the PREDICT registry
Whether coronary plaque characteristics assessed in coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in association with the coronary artery calcium score (CACS) have predictive value for coronary events is unclear. We aimed to examine the predictive value of the CACS and plaque characteristics for the occurrence of coronary events.
