A new analysis of the Coronary CT Angiography Evaluation For Clinical Outcomes (CONFIRM) registry found incremental increases in mortality corresponding to worsening severity of coronary artery disease, according to results published online May 9 in Clinical Cardiology.
The mortality association was found on a per-patient, per-vessel, and per-segment basis, in addition to age-, sex-, and ethnicity-based differences, reported study author Dr. Matthew Martinez and colleagues from Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, PA.
The prognostic role of coronary artery calcium scoring is well-known, but similar evidence for coronary CT angiography (CCTA) has only recently emerged, the authors wrote.
The findings of small CCTA studies in various populations were confirmed in the new analysis of the CONFIRM registry. It's unknown whether changing management based on CCTA findings will affect outcomes, Martinez and colleagues wrote, adding that large, prospective studies using targeted management strategies for different coronary artery disease findings are needed to incorporate the findings into daily clinical practice.
