Open AccessPrevalence of noncalcified plaques and coronary artery stenosis in patients with coronary calcium scores of zero
Author(s) -
Saud M Al-Muhaidb,
Abdul Mohsen M Aljebreen,
Zamel A AlZamel,
Ahmed Fathala
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
coronary artery disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.504
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1473-5830
pISSN - 0954-6928
DOI - 10.1097/mca.0000000000000937
Subject(s) - medicine , cardiology , stenosis , coronary artery disease , revascularization , calcification , artery , population , coronary calcium score , diabetes mellitus , radiology , myocardial infarction , coronary artery calcium , environmental health , endocrinology
A higher coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is associated with increased coronary artery plaque burden resulting in increased cardiovascular risk. Conversely, the absence of calcium indicates a low risk of cardiovascular events. However, coronary plaque calcification is a late manifestation of atherosclerosis; earlier stages of atherosclerosis present noncalcified plaques (NCPs) A recent study demonstrated that the absence of coronary artery calcification deposit does not preclude obstructive stenosis or the need for revascularization in patients with a high suspicion of coronary artery disease (CAD). Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence of NCP and the severity of coronary artery stenosis in symptomatic patients in our local population who were referred for coronary artery computed tomography angiogram (CCTA) with 0 CACS.