Clinical significance of coronary artery calcification seen fluoroscopically with the image intensifier.

Five hundred forty-four unselected patients were examined by a radiologist as to the presence or absence of coronary artery calcification. The overall prevalence of coronary calcification was 20% and there was a definite increase in the prevalence of the finding with increasing age. A comparison of 94 patients with coronary calcification with a matched control group without calcification indicated that the prevalence of symptomatic ischemic heart disease in the group with calcification was approximately twice that of the control group. The correlation was even more significant when the degree of calcification was moderate or severe. It is concluded that cardiac fluoroscopy with image intensification is a useful supplementary tool in the clinical evaluation of patients suspected of having coronary artery disease. It can be performed easily and imposes no risk to the patient.