The Role of Coronary CT Angiography in the Management of Patients with Coronary Athero- sclerotic Disease

Coronary CT angiography is a non-invasive method of analyzing the coronary lumen through which the atheromatous bur-den can be evaluated, with the analysis of the type of plaque (soft, calcified, mixed) and the impact on the arterial lumen (stenosis, occlusion). The anatomical evaluation by coronary CT is indicated in symptomatic patients with low and medium risk factors for coronary atherosclerotic disease, in those with inconclusive laboratory and EKG results, patients with un-certain stress test results, in the evaluation of coronary grafts and intrastent stenoses. Depending on the result of the angiography, the severity of the stenosis and the management of the patient are established. In the case of mild and medium stenoses, risk factors management and drug treatment are recommended. For severe stenoses, patients are referred for interventional coronary angiography or functional evaluation. Coronary CT angiography increases the certainty of coronary atherosclerotic disease diagnosis. It has a superior discriminative capacity of plaques with low attenuation, the main predictor of myocardial infarction, with almost five-fold higher risk. Coronary CT angiography increases the adaptation of medication, and the inclusion of statin therapy decreases the risk of fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction at 5 years and increases the quality of life.