HOUSTON, TX — In asymptomatic and symptomatic patients at low risk for coronary artery disease, the use of coronary artery calcium (CAC) imaging improves long-term prediction of risk beyond that established by the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and exercise-treadmill and stress-perfusion testing, according to the results of a new study[1]. The same findings were observed even among individuals who met the appropriate-use criteria for functional testing, report investigators.
"What we were able to show was that across all Framingham Risk Scores, calcium scoring significantly added in terms of predicting outcome and reclassifying risk in these individuals," senior investigator Dr John Mahmarian (Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, TX) told heartwire . "There have been several studies looking at low Framingham Risk Score patients, and this study bolsters the argument that calcium scoring adds tremendously in that [low-risk] group."
Furthermore, the researchers also looked at several treadmill variables—peak-exercise capacity, exercise-tolerance test (ETT) ischemia, and the Duke treadmill score—and found the addition of the calcium score to any of the variables significantly improved the reclassification of risk beyond that achieved with the clinical-data and functional-test results.
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