EBT Calcium Score:

1
EBT Calcium Score A Clue to Invulnerable
Plaques In Vulnerable Patients
John A. Rumberger, PhD, MD, FACC Clinical
Professor of Medicine, Ohio State
University Medical Director, OhioHeart Columbus,
Ohio
The 3rd Vulnerable Plaque Symposium 51st Annual
ACC, Atlanta GA, 3/16/02
2
Electron Beam Tomography EBT
Is a unique and established tomographic scanning
method 1st introduced in 1984 using a scanning
electron beam rather than a rotating X-ray source
e.g. helical CT Rapidly images the patients
heart 50 or 100 msec/image, Approximately 10
times faster than helical CT Imaging done
synchronized at a phase of the cardiac cycle
corresponding to the least ballistic coronary
motion
3
Electron Beam Tomography

• Over the past 18 years there have gt 600
  scientific
• papers published regarding EBT validation and
• applications for cardiac imaging
• However, the application receiving the most
• notice (and controversy) has been its
  ability to
• determine and quantify Coronary Artery
  Calcium

4
Coronary Artery Calcification

• Hardening of the coronary arteries has known
• for 300 years but over the past 10 years we
  have
• found it is
• An Active (not passive) process
• Can Occur early in ASO plaque development
• An Intimate part of the fibroproliferative
  and
• inflammatory pathophysiology of CAD
• Regulated in a fashion similar to bone
• mineralization and repair

5
Coronary Artery Calcium and Atherosclerotic
Plaque
Histology
X-Ray