Abstract
The Agatston score is the gold standard of atherosclerotic calcium quantification. However, the Agatston score cannot identify vulnerable lesions. Recent investigations suggest that microcalcifications and a high number of ‘spotty’ calcified particles destabilise atherosclerotic plaques while high-density macrocalcifications protect against plaque rupture. However, it is not clear whether the Agatston score can distinguish between these atherosclerotic calcification phenotypes. Our results indicate that the Agatston score correlates extremely well with calcified volume fractions but not with calcified particle information. A novel calcium scoring methodology is required to identify high-risk plaques based on calcification phenotype.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 20-26 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2020 |
Keywords
- Calcium score
- Cardiovascular disease
- Computed tomography
- Extra-coronary calcification
- Hounsfield unit