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World J Cardiol. Jul 26, 2014; 6(7): 663-670
Published online Jul 26, 2014. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v6.i7.663
Assessment of coronary artery disease using coronary computed tomography angiography and biochemical markers
Gitsios Gitsioudis, Hugo A Katus, Grigorios Korosoglou
Gitsios Gitsioudis, Hugo A Katus, Grigorios Korosoglou, Department of Cardiology, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Author contributions: All the authors solely contributed to this paper.
Correspondence to: Grigorios Korosoglou, MD, Department of Cardiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. gkorosoglou@hotmail.com
Telephone: +49-6221-564130 Fax: +49-6221-565513
Received: February 20, 2014
Revised: April 16, 2014
Accepted: May 29, 2014
Published online: July 26, 2014
Processing time: 180 Days and 21.3 Hours
Abstract

Chronic inflammatory mechanisms in the arterial wall lead to atherosclerosis, and include endothelial cell damage, inflammation, apoptosis, lipoprotein deposition, calcification and fibrosis. Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has been shown to be a promising tool for non-invasive assessment of theses specific compositional and structural changes in coronary arteries. This review focuses on the technical background of CCTA-based quantitative plaque characterization. Furthermore, we discuss the available evidence for CCTA-based plaque characterization and the potential role of CCTA for risk stratification of patients with coronary artery disease.

Keywords: Atherosclerotic plaque composition; Quantification analysis; Multi-slice cardiac computed tomography; Biomarkers

Core tip: This review gives an overview of the current status of noninvasive assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the ability of cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and cardiac biomarkers for the diagnostic classification and risk stratification of patients with suspected and known CAD. Since all techniques described herein are available in the clinical routine and are associated with an acceptable time spent the translation to the clinical realm appears promising. Focusing on CCTA-based quantitative plaque characterization we herein present the (1) available evidence; (2) comparison with other techniques of plaque characterization; and (3) the value of “bio-imaging” for the risk stratification of patients with CAD.