Ultra-low-dose Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring: Evaluation of Prognostic Performance and Impact of Physiological Factors on Quantification in a Large Population

Radiation exposure to patients from CT for CAC scoring has steadily decreased in recent years. This is mainly achieved through lowering tube currents alongside with the introduction of iterative reconstruction algorithms which allow compensating for increased image noise. However, the greatest radiation dose reduction can be obtained by reducing peak tube voltage. Yet lowering peak tube voltage remains challenging because tissue attenuation is closely related to photon energy, thus rendering the established thresholds for calculating CAC scores (i.e. Agatston scores) incomparable if peak tube voltages other than the standard 120 kilovolt peak (kVp) are applied. The investigators have developed novel tube-adapted thresholds for CAC scoring by CT at 80 kVp and 70-kVp tube voltage and have shown that these novel thresholds are valid, yielding results closely comparable to the standard 120-kVp protocol. The present study aims to optimize application of such low-dose scans in a general population through assessment of the impact of physiological patient parameters on image parameters such as image noise which per se may impact the accuracy and feasibility of ultra-low-dose CAC scoring with reduced tube voltage. Furthermore, the prognostic performance of such low-dose CAC scoring will be elucidated.