Cardiac CT angiography in current practice: An American society for preventive cardiology clinical practice statement✰.

In this clinical practice statement, we represent a summary of the current evidence and clinical applications of cardiac computed tomography (CT) in evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD), from an expert panel organized by the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC), and appraises the current use and indications of cardiac CT in clinical practice. Cardiac CT is emerging as a front line non-invasive diagnostic test for CAD, with evidence supporting the clinical utility of cardiac CT in diagnosis and prevention. CCTA offers several advantages beyond other testing modalities, due to its ability to identify and characterize coronary stenosis severity and pathophysiological changes in coronary atherosclerosis and stenosis, aiding in early diagnosis, prognosis and management of CAD. This document further explores the emerging applications of CCTA based on functional assessment using CT derived fractional flow reserve, peri­coronary inflammation and artificial intelligence (AI) that can provide personalized risk assessment and guide targeted treatment. We sought to provide an expert consensus based on the latest evidence and best available clinical practice guidelines regarding the role of CCTA as an essential tool in cardiovascular prevention - applicable to risk assessment and early diagnosis and management, noting potential areas for future investigation.

Should NICE guidelines be universally accepted for the evaluation of stable coronary disease? A debate.

The 2016 National Institute of Health and Care Excellence clinical guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of chest pain positions coronary computed tomography angiography as the first test for all stable chest pain patients without confirmed coronary artery disease and discards the previous emphasis on calculation of pre-test likelihood recommended in their 2012 edition of the guidelines. On the other hand, the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology guidelines continue to present the stress testing functional modalities as the tests of choice. The aim of this review is to present, in the form of a debate, the pros and cons of these paradigm changing recommendations, with an emphasis on literature review and projection of future needs, with conclusions to be drawn by the reader.

CAC-DRS: Coronary Artery Calcium Data and Reporting System. An expert consensus document of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT).

The goal of CAC-DRS: Coronary Artery Calcium Data and Reporting System is to create a standardized method to communicate findings of CAC scanning on all noncontrast CT scans, irrespective of the indication, in order to facilitate clinical decision-making, with recommendations for subsequent patient management. The CAC-DRS classification is applied on a per-patient basis and represents the total calcium score and the number of involved arteries. General recommendations are provided for further management of patients with different degrees of calcified plaque burden based on CAC-DRS classification. In addition, CAC-DRS will provide a framework of standardization that may benefit quality assurance and tracking patient outcomes with the potential to ultimately result in improved quality of care.

2016 SCCT/STR guidelines for coronary artery calcium scoring of noncontrast noncardiac chest CT scans: A report of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography and Society of Thoracic Radiology.

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and the Society of Thoracic Radiology (STR) have jointly produced this document. Experts in this subject have been selected from both organizations to examine subject-specific data and write this guideline in partnership. A formal literature review, weighing the strength of evidence has been performed. When available, information from studies on cost was considered. Computed tomography (CT) acquisition, CAC scoring methodologies and clinical outcomes are the primary basis for the recommendations in this guideline. This guideline is intended to assist healthcare providers in clinical decision making. The recommendations reflect a consensus after a thorough review of the best available current scientific evidence and practice patterns of experts in the field and are intended to improve patient care while acknowledging that situations arise where additional information may be needed to better inform patient care.

2016 SCCT/STR guidelines for coronary artery calcium scoring of noncontrast noncardiac chest CT scans: A report of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography and Society of Thoracic Radiology.

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and the Society of Thoracic Radiology (STR) have jointly produced this document. Experts in this subject have been selected from both organizations to examine subject-specific data and write this guideline in partnership. A formal literature review, weighing the strength of evidence has been performed. When available, information from studies on cost was considered. Computed tomography (CT) acquisition, CAC scoring methodologies and clinical outcomes are the primary basis for the recommendations in this guideline. This guideline is intended to assist healthcare providers in clinical decision making. The recommendations reflect a consensus after a thorough review of the best available current scientific evidence and practice patterns of experts in the field and are intended to improve patient care while acknowledging that situations arise where additional information may be needed to better inform patient care.

Fractional Flow Reserve and Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography: A Review and Critical Analysis.

Invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) is now the gold standard for intervention. Noninvasive functional imaging analyses derived from coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) offer alternatives for evaluating lesion-specific ischemia. CT-FFR, CT myocardial perfusion imaging, and transluminal attenuation gradient/corrected contrast opacification have been studied using invasive FFR as the gold standard. CT-FFR has demonstrated significant improvement in specificity and positive predictive value compared with CTA alone for predicting FFR of ≤0.80, as well as decreasing the frequency of nonobstructive invasive coronary angiography. High-risk plaque characteristics have also been strongly implicated in abnormal FFR. Myocardial computed tomographic perfusion is an alternative method with promising results; it involves more radiation and contrast. Transluminal attenuation gradient/corrected contrast opacification is more controversial and may be more related to vessel diameter than stenosis. Important considerations remain: (1) improvement of CTA quality to decrease unevaluable studies, (2) is the diagnostic accuracy of CT-FFR sufficient? (3) can CT-FFR guide intervention without invasive FFR confirmation? (4) what are the long-term outcomes of CT-FFR-guided treatment and how do they compare with other functional imaging-guided paradigms? (5) what degree of stenosis on CTA warrants CT-FFR? (6) how should high-risk plaque be incorporated into treatment decisions? (7) how will CT-FFR influence other functional imaging test utilization, and what will be the effect on the practice of cardiology? (8) will a workstation-based CT-FFR be mandatory? Rapid progress to date suggests that CTA-based lesion-specific ischemia will be the gatekeeper to the cardiac catheterization laboratory and will transform the world of intervention.

Digital Mammography and Screening for Coronary Artery Disease.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine if breast arterial calcification (BAC) on digital mammography predicts coronary artery calcification (CAC). BACKGROUND: BAC is frequently noted but the quantitative relationships to CAC and risk factors are unknown. METHODS: A total of 292 women with digital mammography and nongated computed tomography was evaluated. BAC was quantitatively evaluated (0 to 12) and CAC was measured on computed tomography using a 0 to 12 score; they were correlated with each other and the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and the 2013 Cholesterol Guidelines Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE). RESULTS: BAC was noted in 42.5% and was associated with increasing age (p < 0.0001), hypertension (p = 0.0007), and chronic kidney disease (p < 0.0001). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of BAC >0 for CAC >0 were 63%, 76%, 70%, 69%, and 70%, respectively. All BAC variables were predictive of the CAC score (p < 0.0001). The multivariable odds ratio for CAC >0 was 3.2 for BAC 4 to 12, 2.0 for age, and 2.2 for hypertension. The agreements of FRS risk categories with CAC and BAC risk categories were 57% for CAC and 55% for BAC; the agreement was 47% for PCE risk categories for CAC and 54% by BAC. BAC >0 had area under the curve of 0.73 for identification of women with CAC >0, equivalent to both FRS (0.72) and PCE (0.71). BAC >0 increased the area under the curve curves for FRS (0.72 to 0.77; p = 0.15) and PCE (0.71 to 0.76; p = 0.11) for the identification of high-risk (4 to 12) CAC. With the inclusion of 33 women with established CAD, BAC >0 was significantly additive to both FRS (p = 0.02) and PCE (p = 0.04) for high-risk CAC. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong quantitative association of BAC with CAC. BAC is superior to standard cardiovascular risk factors. BAC is equivalent to both the FRS and PCE for the identification of high-risk women and is additive when women with established CAD are included.