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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Aged, Aorta, Thoracic, Aortic Diseases, Calcinosis, Comorbidity, Coronary Angiography, Coronary Artery Disease, Female, Germany, Humans, Male, Prevalence, Radiography, Thoracic, Reproducibility of Results, Risk Factors, Sensitivity and Specificity.
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Does severe aortic arch calcification depicted on chest radiography strongly suggest coronary artery calcification? Context: To evaluate the association between aortic arch calcifications (AAC) on chest radiography and coronary artery calcium (CAC) score determined by CT. A total of 128 patients (75 men; 69.3 ± 14.7 years) who underwent chest radiography and CAC scoring at CT were included in this retrospective analysis. The extent of AAC on chest radiography was evaluated independently by two blinded observers using a semi-quantitative four-point scale (0-3). Intra- and interobserver agreement was assessed by weighted ĸ statistics. Amount of AAC determined on radiography was correlated with CAC and ROC analyses performed to characterise the diagnostic performance of AAC grading. Excellent intraobserver (ĸ = 0.82) and good interobserver (ĸ = 0.75) agreement of AAC grading was noted. Moderate agreement (ĸ = 0.46, 95 % CI 0.36-0.56) with a linear trend (P < 0.0001) between AAC grades and CAC scores was found. Cut-off between AAC grades 0-2 and 3 had a sensitivity of 38.6 %, specificity of 96.4 %, PPV of 85.0 %, NPV of 75.0 % and accuracy of 76.6 % for the correct identification of CAC scores greater than 400.
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Semi-quantitative AAC grading on chest radiography is reliable and positively associated with CAC scoring. We propose to report the extent of AAC in comprehensive radiological reports as "not present", "moderate" or "severe", as severe AAC strongly suggests coronary artery calcification. Final Decision: yes