Serrano Carlos V, Oranges Marcelo, Brunaldi Vitor, de M Soeiro Alexandre, Torres Tatiana Andreucci, Nicolau José Carlos, Ramires José Antonio F
Heart Institute, Av Enéas de C Aguiar, 44 Building II, 2nd Floor, Room 12, São Paulo, SP 05403-000, Brazil.
Vasc Health Risk Manag. 2011;7:143-51. doi: 10.2147/VHRM.S16328. Epub 2011 Mar 9.
The role of calcification in coronary artery disease is gaining importance, both in research studies and in clinical application. Calcified plaque has long been considered to be the most important atherosclerotic plaque within the arterial tree and frequently presents a challenge for percutaneous intervention. Current investigations have shown that plaque calcification has a dynamic course that is closely related to the magnitude of vascular inflammation. Numerous inflammatory factors synthesized during the early stages of atherosclerosis induce the expression and activation of osteoblast-like cells localized in the arterial wall that produce calcium. There is no doubt that the role of these factors in calcification associated with coronary artery disease could be a crucial strategic point in prevention and treatment. A number of diagnostic imaging methods have been developed in recent years, but their performance needs to be improved. In this context, we undertook an update on coronary calcification, focusing on physiopathology, clinical implications, and imaging techniques.
钙化在冠状动脉疾病中的作用在研究和临床应用中都日益重要。长期以来，钙化斑块一直被认为是动脉系统中最重要的动脉粥样硬化斑块，并且常常给经皮介入治疗带来挑战。目前的研究表明，斑块钙化有一个动态过程，这与血管炎症的程度密切相关。动脉粥样硬化早期合成的多种炎症因子诱导位于动脉壁的成骨样细胞表达并激活，这些细胞会产生钙。毫无疑问，这些因子在与冠状动脉疾病相关的钙化中的作用可能是预防和治疗的关键战略要点。近年来已经开发了许多诊断成像方法，但其性能仍需改进。在此背景下，我们对冠状动脉钙化进行了更新，重点关注其生理病理学、临床意义和成像技术。
