Excerpt

Assessment of cardiovascular risk is a cornerstone in the evaluation and management of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Several risk scores have been developed to estimate this risk which primarily relies on the measurement of traditional risk factors in various populations.1 Over the past two to three decades new imaging modalities have emerged that can also predict cardiovascular risk, such as Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) and Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) score. Vascular Age is a new variable that has been proposed for utilization in cardiovascular risk assessment. Several models have been proposed for its calculation. It is primarily a conversion of chronological age to an age modulated by traditional risk factors or by imaging findings such as CAC score or CIMT.2‐5 However, up till now, there has not been a consensus neither on a unified determination of “vascular age” nor on its role in risk assessment. …