Using coronary calcification scanning in the clinical practice of preventive cardiology.

Preventive therapies such as cholesterol reduction significantly reduce the risk of acute coronary events. Diagnostic tools that identify asymptomatic coronary atherosclerosis would permit initiation of aggressive preventive therapies at an earlier stage of coronary disease. Histologic and angiographic data demonstrate that coronary calcium has a very high sensitivity for the presence of coronary plaque. Therefore, coronary calcification can be regarded as a marker for coronary atherosclerosis. Coronary calcium scanning has been suggested as a tool for identification of a high-risk asymptomatic patient group. It can be utilized to guide the aggressiveness of risk factor modification and therapeutic preventive interventions toward those at higher risk for future events. Based on the available data, we review the clinical use of coronary calcium scanning in preventive cardiology.