Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jun;178(11):2204-2217.
doi: 10.1111/bph.14896. Epub 2020 Feb 4.

Detecting unstable plaques in humans using cardiac CT: Can it guide treatments?

Marwa Daghem  1 , David E Newby  1
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Detecting unstable plaques in humans using cardiac CT: Can it guide treatments?

Marwa Daghem et al. Br J Pharmacol. 2021 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

Advances in imaging technology have driven the rapid expansion in the use of CT in the assessment of coronary atherosclerotic plaque. Based on a rapidly growing evidence base, current guidelines recommend coronary CT angiography as the first-line diagnostic test for patients presenting with stable chest pain. There is a growing need to refine current methods for diagnosis and risk stratification to improve the individualisation of preventative therapies. Imaging assessments of high-risk plaque with CT can be used to differentiate stable from unstable patterns of coronary atherosclerosis and potentially to improve patient risk stratification. This review will focus on coronary imaging with CT with a specific focus on the detection of coronary atherosclerosis, high-risk plaque features, and the implications for patient management.

Keywords: atherosclerosis; coronary CT angiography; high-risk plaque; positron emission tomography.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Alexander, S. P. H., Christopoulos, A., Davenport, A. P., Kelly, E., Mathie, A., … CGTP Collaborators (2019). The Concise Guide To PHARMACOLOGY 2019/20: G protein-coupled receptors. British Journal of Pharmacology, 176, S21-S141. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.14748
    1. Alexander, S. P. H., Fabbro, D., Kelly, E., Mathie, A., Peters, J. A., Veale, E. L., … CGTP Collaborators (2019). The Concise Guide To PHARMACOLOGY 2019/20: Enzymes. British Journal of Pharmacology, 176, S297-S396. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.14752
    1. Ambrose, J. A., Tannenbaum, M. A., Alexopoulos, D., Hjemdahl-Monsen, C. E., Leavy, J., Weiss, M., … Fuster, V. (1988). Angiographic progression of coronary artery disease and the development of myocardial infarction. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 12, 56-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/0735-1097(88)90356-7
    1. Antonopoulos, A. S., Sanna, F., Sabharwal, N., Thomas, S., Oikonomou, E. K., Herdman, L., et al. (2017). Detecting human coronary inflammation by imaging perivascular fat. Sci Transl Med 9: eaal2658.
    1. Arad, Y., Spadaro, L. A., Roth, M., Newstein, D., & Guerci, A. D. (2005). Treatment of asymptomatic adults with elevated coronary calcium scores with atorvastatin, vitamin C, and vitamin E: The St. Francis Heart Study randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 46, 166-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2005.02.089

Publication types