What is the prevalence of obstructive CAD and long-term prognosis in patients with stable symptoms and a zero-coronary calcium score?
A zero-coronary calcium score can reliably serve as a gatekeeper in patients with stable symptoms, avoiding the need for further expensive tests.
In patients with stable symptoms and a ZCS, obstructive CAD is rare, and prognosis over the long-term is excellent, regardless of whether non-calcified atheroma is identified. A ZCS could reliably be used as a 'gatekeeper' in this patient cohort, obviating the need for further more expensive tests.
Mittal et al. (Thu,) studied this question.