Open AccessAssessment of coronary artery disease using coronary computed tomography angiography and biochemical markers
Author(s) -
Gitsios Gitsioudis,
Hugo A. Katus,
Grigorios Korosoglou
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
world journal of cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1949-8462
DOI - 10.4330/wjc.v6.i7.663
Subject(s) - medicine , coronary artery disease , cardiology , computed tomography angiography , calcification , radiology , fibrosis , inflammation , angiography , coronary arteries , artery
Chronic inflammatory mechanisms in the arterial wall lead to atherosclerosis, and include endothelial cell damage, inflammation, apoptosis, lipoprotein deposition, calcification and fibrosis. Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has been shown to be a promising tool for non-invasive assessment of theses specific compositional and structural changes in coronary arteries. This review focuses on the technical background of CCTA-based quantitative plaque characterization. Furthermore, we discuss the available evidence for CCTA-based plaque characterization and the potential role of CCTA for risk stratification of patients with coronary artery disease.