Correlations Between Aortic Root Calcification and Coronary Artery Atherosclerotic Markers Assessed Using Multidetector Computed Tomography

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a systemic process associated with arterial calcification in multiple vascular beds. This study investigated correlations between aortic root calcification (ARC) quantified using Agatston and volumetric scoring methods with coronary atherosclerotic markers (coronary artery calcification [CAC], calcified plaques, and luminal stenosis). This cross-sectional study was carried out between January and December 2013. One hundred ninety-six consecutive patients with intermediate pretest probability of ischemic heart disease who underwent 64-slice multidetector computed tomography angiography were recruited, with 175 patients being eligible to enroll in the study. A significant correlation was observed between ARC and total CAC using the Agatston and volumetric scoring methods (r=0.225; P=.003 and r=0.243; P=.001, respectively). With regard to individual coronary vessel calcification and ARC, a significant correlation was observed between ARC and left main stem artery calcification calculated using the volumetric and Agatston scoring methods (P<.05). A significant correlation was observed between high ARC and presence of coronary calcified plaque measured using the Agatston and volumetric scoring methods. A strong correlation was also observed between ARC and number of coronary stenotic vessels measured using the Agatston and volumetric scoring methods (r=0.67; P<.001 and r=0.63; P<.001, respectively). ARC can be used as an additional marker to assess coronary atherosclerosis and may have a complementary role with CAC for detection of coronary artery disease.