Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring: Current Status and Review of Literature.

Coronary artery calcium is a marker of overall atherosclerotic plaque burden, corresponding to approximately 20% overall atherosclerotic plaque burden. Coronary artery calcium screening, most commonly performed using the Agatston score, has been shown to be a predictor of future cardiovascular risk independent of conventional risk scores such as the Framingham risk score. Coronary artery calcium screening is also recommended on routine nongated, noncontrast chest computed tomography scans using several ordinal and visual scoring systems.