Can coronary calcification measured by CT predict future coronary events?
Manu Prabhakar and Dennis T. Ko Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook and Women’s Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ont. Arad Y, Goodman KJ, Roth M, Newstein D, Guerci AD. Coronary calcification, coronary disease risk factors, C-reactive protein, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events: the St. Francis Heart Study. J Am Coll Cardiol 2005;46:158-65. Background: The degree of coronary artery calcification correlates with the burden of atherosclerosis1 and can be detected by noninvasive means such as electron-beam CT scanning (EBCT). Measurement of coronary calcification may be useful for predicting adverse cardiovascular events; however, studies have produced inconsistent results.2,3 The main purpose of the St. Francis Heart Study was to compare the prognostic accuracy of coronary calcification measured by EBCT with standard risk factors in a setting of primary prevention. Methods: A prospective, population-based study was conducted at a single hospital in New York State. Subjects
