L'impiego della TC coronarica per la stratificazione del rischio cardiovascolare: evidenze e prospettive dopo lo studio CONFIRM Coronary computed tomography: current role and future perspectives for cardiovascular risk stratification

Coronary computed tomography: current role and future perspectives for cardiovascular risk stratification. F. Musella, R. Formisano, G. Mattiello, E. Iardino, L. Petraglia, A. Vitagliano, I. Fabiani, A.P. Cirillo, M. Petito, P. Perrone-Filardi. Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is a ma- jor cause of morbidity and mortality. The majority of car- diovascular events, more than 50% of CAD deaths, occur in previously asymptomatic individuals at intermediate car- diovascular risk, highlighting the relevance of accurate indi- vidual risk assessment to decrease cardiovascular events through more appropriate targeting of preventive mea- sures. In the last decades, the development of non-invasive imaging techniques have prompted interest in imaging of atherosclerosis. Coronary computed tomography provides the opportunity to assess the deposition of calcium in the coronary tree and to non-invasively image coronary vessels. Both information are useful for risk stratification of asymp- tomatic subjects or of subjects with suspected CAD.