Lipid disorders and plaque imaging

Electron-beam tomography (EBT) plaque imaging has the potential to fundamen tally change the practice of prevention, through application of the followi ng principles: (1) Asymptomatic patients with significant calcified plaque should be considered to have a clinical coronary artery disease risk equiva lent. (2) Measurement of nontraditional parameters should be incorporated i nto the evaluation of patients with calcified plaque. (3) Drug treatment sh ould focus on the asymptomatic patient with subclinical atherosclerosis. (4 ) Change in plaque rather than change in lipid values should guide treatmen t. (C) 2001 by Excerpta Medics, Inc.