The Search for the "Holy Grail" of Clinically Significant Coronary Atherosclerosis
Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:1266-1268.
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For presentations to be effective, one must "get to the point." The point of this editorial on the article by Pletcher et al1 is that the clinical utility of fast computed tomography (CT) scanners (ie, the electron beam [EB] and double helical CT scanner) is still limited. Electron beam CT is not ready for prime time.
It is interesting that some individuals' coronary angiograms are stable for years while others are very unstable with rapidly progressive lesions that result in sudden death or one of the acute coronary syndromes. The diagnostic "Holy Grail" of coronary atherosclerosis is not to be able to identify coronary atherosclerosis, which almost all Americans have, but to be able to identify individuals with unstable coronary atherosclerotic lesions and thus be able to attempt to prevent one of the acute coronary syndromes or sudden death. While calcium in the coronary arteries is almost invariably associated with . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Gordon A. Ewy, MD
Department of Medicine
Division of Cardiology
The University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center
1501 N Campbell Ave
PO Box 245037
Tucson, AZ 85724-5037
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