Coronary Arterial Calcification: A Review of Mechanisms, Promoters and Imaging

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) was once thought to be a passive, degenerative, and quiescent development of disease. However, it has now been shown to be an active process associated with atherosclerosis that is stimulated by inflammatory pathways. Calcification forms within the intimal and medial layers of the vessel wall by way of mechanisms similar to bone development. A variety of imaging modalities have been used to identify and characterize CAC, from early microcalcifications to well-developed fibroatheromas that have calcified.

Source: Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine - May 2, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Jordan Andrews, Peter J. Psaltis, Belinda A. Di Bartolo, Stephen J. Nicholls, Rishi Puri Source Type: research