Limitations and Controversies of CAC Scoring

Introduction

CAC scoring predicts cardiovascular risk better than most other noninvasive tests. That predictive power does not mean the test is without blind spots. Understanding what CAC cannot tell you is as important as understanding what it can.

The most common misconceptions involve assuming a zero score guarantees safety, expecting calcium to decrease with treatment, or using CAC progression to judge therapy effectiveness. Each of these reflects a misunderstanding of what the scan measures and how calcification relates to plaque vulnerability and clinical events.

This article addresses the recognized limitations of CAC, the controversies surrounding its use, and the populations where results may be particularly unreliable. For guidance on interpreting results, see How to Interpret Your CAC Score. For understanding how CAC compares to other tests, see CAC vs Other Cardiac Tests.

The most significant blind spot is non-calcified plaque. CAC scanning detects only calcified lesions, missing soft, lipid-rich plaques that may be more prone to rupture. Studies using CT angiography found that asymptomatic individuals with zero calcium who later experienced cardiac events often had non-calcified plaques visible on contrast imaging (Lee et al., 2013).

Young patients and those with certain risk factors (diabetes, elevated Lp(a)) may have significant soft plaque without corresponding calcium. Research in symptomatic patients under 50 showed that CCTA detected coronary disease in nearly half of patients with zero calcium (Feuchtner et al., 2021). The absence of calcium does not prove the absence of atherosclerosis.

CAC also cannot assess stenosis severity or predict which plaques will cause events. A high score indicates extensive atherosclerosis but does not pinpoint the specific lesion that might rupture. The test quantifies disease burden rather than identifying culprit lesions.

Why do some cardiologists dismiss CAC as less useful than other tests?

Some clinicians argue that CAC does not change management enough to justify its cost and radiation. They point out that aggressive prevention is already indicated for patients with multiple risk factors, regardless of CAC, and that low-risk patients will have low event rates regardless of their score.

Others prefer functional testing for symptomatic patients because CAC does not assess ischemia. Knowing someone has calcium does not tell you whether it limits blood flow or explains their symptoms. Stress testing and CT angiography provide information more directly relevant to symptom evaluation.

The absence of randomized outcome trials also limits enthusiasm. Unlike statin therapy, which has been proven in randomized trials to reduce events, CAC-guided treatment has not been subjected to definitive outcome studies. Guidelines endorse CAC, but the evidence consists of prediction rather than intervention studies.

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What is the CAC paradox where statin users sometimes show higher scores?

The CAC paradox refers to observations that statin-treated patients sometimes show faster calcium progression than untreated patients, despite clear reductions in cardiovascular events. This appears contradictory: how can a treatment that reduces heart attacks increase calcium?

Research suggests that statins stabilize plaques by shifting their composition from lipid-rich, vulnerable cores toward more fibrous and calcified phenotypes (Ikegami et al., 2018). The calcium represents healing and stabilization rather than disease progression. A calcified, stable plaque may be less dangerous than a soft, rupture-prone one with the same total volume.

The practical implication is that CAC should not be used to assess statin effectiveness. Rising calcium in a statin-treated patient does not indicate treatment failure. Event reduction matters more than calcium trajectory.

Can aggressive plaque stabilization create more calcium while reducing risk?

Yes. Plaque stabilization involves conversion of lipid-rich, inflammatory cores into fibrous and calcified tissue. The calcification reflects successful stabilization rather than worsening disease. Several imaging studies have documented this phenomenon with intensive lipid therapy.

Trials of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation combined with statins showed mixed effects on plaque volume but often demonstrated changes in plaque composition toward more stable phenotypes (Alfaddagh, 2017). The relationship between treatment, calcification, and clinical outcomes is more complex than simple score reduction.

This complexity underscores why CAC progression should be interpreted cautiously. Increasing calcium may paradoxically indicate successful plaque modification. The scan captures one aspect of plaque biology, not the complete picture.

How accurate is CAC scoring across different scanner types and institutions?

Technical factors introduce variability between scans. Different CT scanner manufacturers, acquisition protocols, and reconstruction algorithms can produce different scores from identical anatomy. Scan-to-scan variability of 10-20% is common even on the same machine.

This variability matters most for serial testing. A patient with a baseline score of 100 might show values ranging from 80 to 120 on repeat scans due to technical factors alone. Apparent changes below this threshold may not represent true biological progression.

For initial screening, this variability has less impact. The clinical categories (0, 1-99, 100-399, 400+) are broad enough to accommodate technical variation. A score of 250 is clinically different from 50 regardless of modest measurement error.

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What role does inter-reader variability play in score reliability?

Calcium scoring involves automated detection with human oversight. Readers must confirm that identified calcifications are in coronary arteries rather than valves, pericardium, or adjacent structures. This judgment introduces some variability between readers.

Studies comparing reader agreement generally show high correlation for total scores but more variability for individual vessel scores. The clinical categories remain robust across readers, but precise numerical comparisons require caution.

For serial comparison, having the same reader interpret both scans on the same platform improves precision. Patients tracking progression should consider this when choosing where to obtain repeat testing.

Are there patient populations where CAC is particularly unreliable?

Young patients represent the most challenging population. Below age 40, calcium prevalence is low enough that the test has limited discriminating ability. Most young people have zero scores, so finding any calcium is highly significant but the test does not stratify well within the low-calcium range.

Patients on dialysis often have extensive vascular calcification driven by calcium-phosphate metabolic abnormalities rather than typical atherosclerosis. CAC scores in dialysis patients are markedly elevated and may not carry the same predictive meaning as in the general population.

Very high CAC scores (above 1,000) also become less useful for discrimination. At that level, the presence of extensive disease is already established, and exact quantification adds little clinical value.

Conclusion

CAC scoring provides valuable risk stratification but should not be mistaken for a complete assessment of coronary disease. The test misses non-calcified plaque, cannot assess stenosis, and may increase paradoxically with effective plaque-stabilizing therapy. These limitations do not invalidate the test but inform appropriate interpretation.

Understanding what CAC cannot tell you helps set appropriate expectations and informs the decision about whether additional testing (CT angiography, stress testing) might add value in specific clinical scenarios. For guidance on what to do with results, see What to Do With Your CAC Results.