In the November issue of Radiology, a new study points to the benefits of ancillary findings during routine CT scans. As the image quality of CT scanning has improved over the last 10 years, incidental findings unrelated to the original purpose of the CT scan have increased, which could be used to indicate individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease.
While some believe that existing clinical practices for determining risk are adequate, others argue that the ancillary findings would not require additional exposure to radiation and would come at no additional cost because the scans have already been performed. Because no further costs or exposure to radiation is required, those who performed the study believe it is a useful and valuable tool for assessing cardiovascular disease risk.
When examining the results of a CT scan, radiologists typically only consider the information that is relevant or requested to the reason for which the CT scan was performed, so the study aimed to distinguish between what information could be useful and what is not considered useful.
A prediction model used to determine risk of cardiovascular disease was developed following the study involving a sample population of 817 patients and 347 patients who have experienced a "cardiovascular event" during a 17 month follow-up period. Visual scores were assessed on a scale of 0-8 for calcifications, 0-4 for plaques and 0-4 for irregularities. The prediction model also incorporates age, gender and CT incorporation.
The study concluded that using ancillary aortic findings that are detected during a routine CT scan to assess risk of cardiovascular disease "may help to identify patients at high risk for [cardiovascular disease]," according to the article's abstract. As a result, the study argues that preventative measures taken following this risk assessment may help to reduce the risk or severity of problems and events associated with cardiovascular disease.
