ABSTRACT
Imaging of coronary arteries has been a major focus of clinicians interested in cardiovascular disease for a long time. The search for, in particular, non-invasive methods has led to the development of electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT), a non-invasive imaging modality, which is able to detect coronary calcification. The recently introduced multislice CT (MSCT) scanners, which have an improved resolution, are able to detect both calcific and non-calcific plaques1-8. No long-term risk stratification studies are available using MSCT; however, it is expected that direct non-invasive imaging of coronary calcific and non-calcific atherosclerotic plaques may potentially improve risk stratification for asymptomatic individuals or in patients with known coronary artery disease.
