Aortic Valve Calcium Score: Applications in Clinical Practice and Scientific Research-A Narrative Review.
Pawel GacArkadiusz JaworskiFilip GrajnertKatarzyna KicmanAgnieszka Trejtowicz-SutorKonrad WitkowskiMałgorzata PorębaRafał PorębaPublished in: Journal of clinical medicine (2024)
In this narrative review, we investigate the essential role played by the computed tomography Aortic Valve Calcium Score (AVCS) in the cardiovascular diagnostic landscape, with a special focus on its implications for clinical practice and scientific research. Calcific aortic valve stenosis is the most prevalent type of aortic stenosis (AS) in industrialized countries, and due to the aging population, its prevalence is increasing. While transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) remains the gold standard, AVCS stands out as an essential complementary tool in evaluating patients with AS. The advantage of AVCS is its independence from flow; this allows for a more precise evaluation of patients with discordant findings in TTE. Further clinical applications of AVCS include in the assessment of patients before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), as it helps in predicting outcomes and provides prognostic information post-TAVR. Additionally, we describe different AVCS thresholds regarding gender and the anatomical variations of the aortic valve. Finally, we discuss various scientific studies where AVCS was applied. As AVCS has some limitations, due to the pathophysiologies of AS extending beyond calcification and gender differences, scientists strive to validate contrast-enhanced AVCS. Furthermore, research on developing radiation-free methods of measuring calcium content is ongoing.
Keyphrases
- aortic valve
- transcatheter aortic valve replacement
- aortic stenosis
- computed tomography
- contrast enhanced
- aortic valve replacement
- transcatheter aortic valve implantation
- clinical practice
- magnetic resonance imaging
- end stage renal disease
- ejection fraction
- chronic kidney disease
- diffusion weighted
- magnetic resonance
- positron emission tomography
- newly diagnosed
- dual energy
- risk factors
- left ventricular
- prognostic factors
- peritoneal dialysis
- mental health
- adipose tissue
- healthcare
- social media
- pulmonary hypertension
- weight loss
- heart failure
- radiation therapy