Photo Credit: K_E_N

High abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) was found to predict a high coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in liver transplant recipients, according to a study published in Heart Lung and Circulation. The findings demonstrate the potential of AAC data, which can be calculated with abdominal CT scans, as a surrogate marker for CACS to help risk stratify before transplantation. With AAC previously linked to cardiovascular events in liver transplant patients, Benjamin Cailes, MBBS, BMedSci, and colleagues investigated whether AAC can predict the presence of coronary artery calcification on CT coronary artery angiography (CTCA). The study included patients with liver transplant and both abdominal CT and CTA available. High AAC was defined as a calcium score greater than or equal to 500. High coronary artery calcium score (CACS) was defined as greater than or equal to 40. Among all 90 patients, 20 had high CACS. AAC score was significantly elevated in patients with high CACS. A high AAC score predicted a high CACS, while an AAC of 0 predicted a CACS of 0.