Validity of the coronary calcium volume in the diagnosis of the significant coronary stenosis.

Abstract

The presence of calcium in coronary arteries confirms the presence of atherosclerosis.To determine the validity of coronary calcium(Ca) total volume by the Callister´s method in the diagnosis of significant coronary stenosis.A descriptive transversal study was performed at the Cuban Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Institute, from January to July 2010, todetermine the effectiveness of both the coronary calcium volume using Callister’s method and the score of Agatston, the two being assessedthrough CT systems with up to 64 rows, in the diagnosis of significant coronary stenosis. One hundred and fifty-eight patientsscheduled for invasive coronary angiography were studied consecutively. Were determined the diagnosis efficiency index for different cutoff values of coronary calcium volume to predict stenosis .The 98 % of patients and arteries with a calcium volume of 0 mm3 did not have a significant coronary stenosis, nevertheless, this conditionwas present in 100 % of patients with a calcium volume higher than 400 mm3 (p < 0,0001). In the cut off value of 0 mm3 the volume gothigh sensitivity (99%), and for 400 mm3 high specificity (100%) to diagnosis significant coronary stenosis . The optime cut off of calciumvolume and Agaston’s score for each patient to predict arterial oclussion were 51 mm3 and 40 UA with p=0,6.The coronary calcium volume has diagnosis validity, similar to the score created by Agatston in detecting significant coronary stenosis.

Keywords

• Computed tomography
• invasive coronary angiography
• calcium volume
• significant coronary stenosis