CCTA in Low-Risk Patients: Some Benefit, but at a Price

Coronary computed tomographic angiography resulted in more use of preventive medications — and more follow-up testing.

Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) has high sensitivity for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD), but its role in screening low-risk patients is unclear. To assess the downstream effects of this test on asymptomatic low-risk patients, investigators identified 1000 patients who underwent CCTA as part of a previous South Korean study and compared them to 1000 age- and sex-matched control patients who did not receive CCTA. The two groups had similar cardiac risk factors.

The CCTA results were read as positive for 215 patients (22%); 52 were read as clinically significant, and 21 were interpreted as severe. At 18-month follow-up, those with positive CCTAs were more likely than controls to be taking statins (20.4% vs. 6.1%) or as…

Reviewing Author

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

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Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

Disclosures

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