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Background: Patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) are at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. However, it remains unclear whether the high risk is due to high atherosclerotic disease burden or if presence of stenosis has independent predictive value.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if obstructive CAD provides predictive value beyond its association with total calcified atherosclerotic plaque burden as assessed by coronary artery calcium (CAC).Methods: Among 23,759 symptomatic patients from the Western Denmark Heart Registry who underwent diagnostic computed tomography angiography (CTA), we assessed the risk of major CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, and all-cause death) stratified by CAC burden and number of vessels with obstructive disease.Results: During a median follow-up of 4.3 years, 1,054 patients experienced a first major CVD event. The event rate increased stepwise with both higher CAC scores and number of vessels with obstructive disease (by CAC scores: 6.2 per 1,000 person-years (PY) for CAC = 0 to 42.3 per 1,000 PY for CAC >1,000; by number of vessels with obstructive disease: 6.1 per 1,000 PY for no CAD to 34.7 per 1,000 PY for 3-vessel disease). When stratified by 5 groups of CAC scores (0, 1 to 99, 100 to 399, 400 to 1,000, and >1,000), the presence of obstructive CAD was not associated with higher risk than presence of nonobstructive CAD.Conclusions: Plaque burden, not stenosis per se, is the main predictor of risk for CVD events and death. Thus, patients with a comparable calcified atherosclerosis burden generally carry a similar risk for CVD events regardless of whether they have nonobstructive or obstructive CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The choice of either anatomical or functional noninvasive testing to evaluate suspected coronary artery disease might affect subsequent clinical management and outcomes.Objectives: This study analyzed the association of initial noninvasive cardiac testing in outpatients with stable symptoms, with subsequent use of medications, invasive procedures, and clinical outcomes.Methods: We studied patients enrolled in a Danish nationwide register who underwent initial noninvasive cardiac testing with either coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) or functional testing (exercise electrocardiography or nuclear stress testing) from 2009 to 2015. Further use of noninvasive testing, invasive procedures, medications, and medical costs within 120 days were evaluated. Risks of long-term mortality and myocardial infarction (MI) were analyzed using adjusted Cox proportional hazard models.Results: A total of 86,705 patients underwent either functional testing (n = 53,744, mean age 57.4 years, 49% males) or coronary CTA (n = 32,961, mean age 57.4 years, 45% males), and were followed for a median of 3.6 years. Compared with functional testing, there was significantly higher use of statins (15.9% vs. 9.1%), aspirin (12.7% vs. 8.5%), invasive coronary angiography (14.7% vs. 10.1%), and percutaneous coronary intervention (3.8% vs. 2.1%); all p < 0.001 after coronary CTA. The mean costs of subsequent testing, invasive procedures, and medications were higher after coronary CTA ($995 vs. $718; p < 0.001). Unadjusted rates of mortality (2.1% vs. 4.0%) and MI hospitalization (0.8% vs. 1.5%) were lower after coronary CTA than functional testing (both p < 0.001). After adjustment, coronary CTA was associated with a comparable all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 0.96; 95% confidence interval: 0.88 to 1.05), and a lower risk of MI (hazard ratio: 0.71; 95% confidence interval: 0.61 to 0.82).Conclusions: In stable patients undergoing initial evaluation for suspected coronary artery disease, coronary CTA was associated with greater use of statins, aspirin, and invasive procedures, and higher costs than functional testing. Coronary CTA was associated with a lower risk of MI, but a similar risk of all-cause mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]