Recent advances in cardiovascular risk assessment: The added value of non-invasive anatomic imaging

Pooja V Selvam; Gowtham R Grandhi; Thorsten M Leucker; Armin Arbab-Zadeh; Martha Gulati; Roger S Blumenthal; Seamus P Whelton

doi:10.1016/j.jcct.2024.01.012

Recent advances in cardiovascular risk assessment: The added value of non-invasive anatomic imaging

J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr. 2024 Mar-Apr;18(2):113-119. doi: 10.1016/j.jcct.2024.01.012. Epub 2024 Feb 6.

Authors

Pooja V Selvam¹, Gowtham R Grandhi², Thorsten M Leucker², Armin Arbab-Zadeh², Martha Gulati³, Roger S Blumenthal², Seamus P Whelton⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
² Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
³ Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: seamus.whelton@jhmi.edu.

PMID: 38326189
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcct.2024.01.012

Abstract

In 2022, multiple original research studies were conducted highlighting the utility of coronary artery calcium (CAC) imaging in young individuals and provided further evidence for the role of CAC to improve atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk assessment. Mean calcium density was shown to be a more reliable predictor than peak density in risk assessment. Additionally, in light of the ACC/AHA/Multispecialty Chest Pain Guideline's recent elevation of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) to a Class I (level of evidence A) recommendation as an index diagnostic test for acute or stable chest pain, several studies support the utility of CCTA and guided future directions. This review summarizes recent studies that highlight the role of non-invasive imaging in enhancing ASCVD risk assessment across different populations.

Keywords: ASCVD; Coronary CTA; Coronary artery calcium; Coronary artery disease; Prevention.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Atherosclerosis*
Calcium
Cardiovascular Diseases* / diagnostic imaging
Chest Pain
Coronary Angiography / methods
Coronary Artery Disease* / diagnostic imaging
Heart Disease Risk Factors
Humans
Predictive Value of Tests
Risk Assessment
Risk Factors
Vascular Calcification* / diagnostic imaging

Substances

Calcium