TORONTO, April 23, 2015--The assessed risk of more than 65% of patients without established cardiovascular disease who were evaluated for coronary artery calcification via ungated chest CT was reclassified after undergoing Agatston-scored ungated CT scans, according to new research conducted at Mount Sinai Medical Center. More than one-third of those patients, for whom new American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines would recommend statin therapy, were reclassified as being at very low risk for cardiovascular disease.
"Agatston scoring of coronary artery calcification on routine ungated chest CT has the potential to spare many patients from unnecessary statin therapy," said principal investigator Michael Kadoch.
The study was presented at the ARRS 2015 Annual Meeting in Toronto.
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