Erschienen in:
01.06.2017 | Debate Article
Coronary artery calcium score as a gatekeeper in the non-invasive evaluation of suspected coronary artery disease in symptomatic patients
verfasst von:
Elsemiek M. Engbers, MD, Jorik R. Timmer, MD, PhD, Jan Paul Ottervanger, MD, PhD
Erschienen in:
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology
|
Ausgabe 3/2017
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Excerpt
Despite many efforts and successes in primary prevention, prevalence and incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) are still high, especially in developed and developing countries.
1 In general, stable patients with CAD have an excellent prognosis, also because there are a number of therapeutic options, including life style interventions, cholesterol and blood pressure lowering medication, and coronary revascularization. Therefore, in symptomatic patients, an accurate diagnosis is of importance (1) to rule out a cardiac cause to enable search for non-cardiac causes; (2) to start treatment in those with CAD to relief symptoms and prevent myocardial infarction and/or death; and (3) to provide prognostic information. In general, tests are divided in screening and diagnostic tests. The primary purpose of screening tests is to detect early disease or risk factors for disease in large numbers of apparently healthy individuals. The purpose of a diagnostic test is to establish the presence (or absence) of disease as a basis for treatment decisions in symptomatic or screen positive individuals (confirmatory test). …
