Using Coronary Artery Calcification Combined with Pretest Clinical Risk Assessment as a Means of Determining Investigation and Treatment in Patients Presenting with Chest Pain in a Rural Setting

Table 3

Angiogram severity versus pretest risk.

Pretest Risk	Normal angiogram %	Plaque but no significant stenosis (mild) %	Moderate soft plaque stenosis, less than 60% (moderate) %	Severe obstructive disease (severe) %
Low, male	0%	7%	0%	0%
Low, female	2%	3%	0%	0%
Medium, male	0%	0%	0%	0%
Medium, female	0%	2%	0%	5%
High, male	13%	10%	7%	25%
High, female	10%	5%	8%	3%
Total	25%	27%	15%	33%

Table showing that 25% of the angiograms performed were normal and 27% showed nonsignificant plaque. 28% of significantly abnormal angiograms had a high pretest risk of coronary disease, but in the high-risk group there were also 23% of normal angiograms. No patient with a low pretest risk had a significantly abnormal angiogram.