Coronary Calcium

Introduction: Book overview, authors and highlight of each chapter and guide for readers how most effectively to use this book.

Chapter 1: Types and Pathology of Vascular Calcification:

Vascular calcification can be classified into 2 distinct forms depending on its location within the intima (intimal calcification) or in the vascular medial layer. Medial calcification mostly affects the peripheral arteries of the lower extremities, resulting in the loss of elasticity, and is routinely observed in patients with peripheral vascular disease.　The chapter will briefly touch on the basic pathologies of intimal and medial calcification.

Chapter 2: Calcification and Atherosclerosis Progression:

The chapter will focus on the relationship between the specific types of calcification and their relationship to different plaque types and draw implications for risk prediction using these data.

Chapter 3: Basic Molecular Mechanisms of Vascular Calcification:

The chapter will discuss our current understand of how vascular calcification occurs providing an overview of the most important mechanisms.

Chapter 4: CT and Calcification: Understanding its Role in Risk Prediction:

CT is the most important non-invasive modality to detect vascular calcification and as such it is used in risk prediction. This chapter will discuss the data underlying its use in risk prediction and give clinically relevant recommendation for its use in patients as risk for CAD. We will discuss the emerging role for different types of CT calcification patterns and whether these can be useful in monitoring patients.

Chapter 5: Intravascular Imaging and Coronary Calcification:

Chapter will review the most common intravascular imaging modalities and how they can be used to identify coronary calcium. Moreover, we will discuss the meaning of identifying different types of calcium in the arterial wall for the success of coronary interventions. We will also discuss the role of interventional technologies specifically designed to deal with coronary calcium.

Chapter 6: Influence of Race and Other Risk Factors such as Diabetes and Renal Failure on Coronary Calcification:

The chapter will review the role of risk factors and race on the development of coronary calcium and briefly discuss the mechanisms underlying each risk factor. Moreover, implications of these findings for evaluating patients will be made.

Chapter 7: Vascular Calcification in Response to Pharmacologic Intervention:

We will discuss the role of pharmacologic therapies on the development of vascular calcification.

Chapter 8: Clinical Perspective:

This chapter will integrate knowledge presented in the previous chapters to make clinically relevant recommendation for physicians about how to use vascular calcification as a risk predictor.

Chapter 9: Imaging of Vascular Calcification: Where Are We Headed?

This chapter will discuss the role of future imaging technologies to risk stratify patients at risk for CAD and whether in the future more aggressive imaging might become an essential evaluation for patients in the clinic.