QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF ABDOMINAL AORTIC ARTHEROSCLEROSIS OBSERVEDIN CT SCANS

Calcification of the aorta is characteristic of artherosclerotic disea se. A novel numerical index for quantitating the extent of calcificati on observed in computed tomography (CT) scans has been developed. The index weights the fractional area of the aorta showing calcifications with the average calcium density in the plaques. It obviates the need for manual tracing of the calcifications, and avoids the arbitrary nat ure and lack of reproducibility of the ''calcium score'' system curren tly used in assessing CT scans. Continuously different levels of calci fication were distinguished in the abdominal aortas of a group of Kuwa iti females (n = 20), with a linear correlation coefficient between in dex value and age of 0.914 (P < 0.0001) over three decades. The index is generally applicable to all arterial calcifications, and could be u sed to monitor the effect of therapeutic regimes. It could easily be m odified for use with 3D reconstructions obtained from CT helical scann ing or MRT. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.