Clinical Impact of Reporting Coronary Artery Calcium Scores of Non-Gated Chest Computed Tomography on Statin Management

Introduction Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring is used as a screening tool for patients with intermediate 10-year arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. Results obtained on non-contrast non-gated chest CT (ngCCT) correlate well to those obtained on gated CTs. This paper aims to determine how the routine reporting of CAC scores on ngCCT scans with ASCVD risk of less than 12.5% would change statin management. Methods Data of all patients scanned on a single CT scanner during a four-month window were reviewed. A total of 521 eligible scans were identified. After removing duplicate scans and scans from patients who were not in the age range of 40-75 years, 370 scans remained. Patients were excluded if they had documented ASCVD, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) > 190 mg/dL, or if they had ASCVD risk of greater than 12.5%. Ultimately, 36 scans were included in the study. Results Of the 36 patients who qualified, 10 were low-risk (ASCVD risk<5%), 13 were intermediate-risk (ASCVD risk 5-7.5%), and 13 were high-risk (ASCVD risk 7.5%-12.5%). A CAC score of 300 was used as a cutoff for recommending prescribing statins and 0 was used as a cutoff for recommending de-prescribing statins. In 63% of patients (23/36), CAC scoring altered statin recommendations. This included 11/13 (85%) intermediate-risk patients, 6/13 (46%) high-risk patients, and 6/10 (60%) low-risk patients. Conclusions Reporting CAC on ngCCTs obtained for other reasons can significantly impact statin prescribing practices. This may improve cost, patient satisfaction, and patient safety.