Advanced Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology Research Center | Coronary Calcium Score in Excluding Coronary Artery Disease

Advanced Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology Research Center | Coronary Calcium Score in Excluding Coronary Artery Disease
| Jan 3 2026
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Advanced Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology Research Center

COVID-19 pandemic 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Radiology Research Center at Tehran University of Medical Sciences continued its research activities despite the challenges posed by the increased demand for CT scans of COVID-19 patients and the necessity of adhering to strict health protocols. This center played a crucial role in improving medical imaging techniques, optimizing diagnostic protocols, and advancing technologies related to CT scan image analysis.

Faculty members, researchers, and staff remained committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of healthcare professionals and patients while actively engaging in imaging data analysis, developing artificial intelligence algorithms for faster disease detection, publishing scientific articles, and presenting their findings at international conferences. These efforts aimed to enhance diagnostic accuracy, improve treatment processes, and alleviate pressure on healthcare systems.

 

Key achievements of the Radiology Research Center during the COVID-19 pandemic include:


✔️ Development and optimization of lung imaging protocols for faster and more accurate COVID-19 diagnosis
✔️ Implementation of artificial intelligence technologies for automated CT scan analysis and reduced diagnosis time
✔️ Publication of high-impact research articles on innovative imaging methods for COVID-19 patients
✔️ Participation in national and international projects focused on COVID-19 diagnosis and patient management

The center remains dedicated to advancing research in medical imaging and continues to contribute as a leading scientific institution in improving the quality of diagnostic and therapeutic services.

 

Some of the center's significant achievements during the pandemic include:

 

  • Release Date : Mar 13 2024 - 14:11
  • : 34
  • Study time : 1 minute(s)

Diagnostic Accuracy of Coronary Calcium Score Less than 100 in Excluding Coronary Artery Disease

In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy, negative predictive value (NPV), positive predictive value (PPV), specificity and sensitivity of CACS less than 100 in predicting significant coronary artery stenosis in patients with risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in a vessel-based analysis

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Background

Coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is a quantitative assessment of calcifications and an established predictor of cardiovascular events.

Objectives

In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy, negative predictive value (NPV), positive predictive value (PPV), specificity and sensitivity of CACS less than 100 in predicting significant coronary artery stenosis in patients with risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in a vessel-based analysis.

Patients and Methods

A cross sectional study was carried out on a study population of 2527 consecutive stable patients with symptoms suggestive of CAD who were referred for coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA). We performed 1343 studies with 256 slice machine in Shahid Rajaee hospital and the other studies were carried out with 64 slice machine in Imam Khomeini hospital and the calcium score was quantified according to the Agatston method.

Results

At the cutoff point of 100 for coronary calcium scoring, there was high specificity (87%), high sensitivity (79%), high efficiency (84%), high PPV (79%), and high NPV (87%) in the diagnosis of significant stenosis in the whole heart. The frequency of zero calcium scoring was 59% in normal or nonsignificant stenosis and 7.6% in significant stenosis in the whole heart. Calcium scoring increased with greater severity of the arterial stenosis (P values < 0.001).

Conclusion

We conclude that coronary calcium scoring provided useful information in the management of patients. In CACS less than 100, it has a NPV of 87% in excluding significant stenosis in patients with the risk of CAD but it does not have enough diagnostic accuracy for surely excluding coronary stenosis, so we should perform a combination of CACS and coronary CT angiography for patients.

 

  • Article_DOI : 10.5812/iranjradiol.16705
  • Author(s) : reza hanifehpour
  • News Group : research,research article
  • News Code : 278439
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