The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that electron-beam tomography (EBT) is poised to win an endorsement from the American Heart Association (AHA).
The newspaper said that within the next few weeks, the AHA will publish a scientific statement in its journal, Circulation, saying the tests can help doctors predict which patients are at risk of future heart attacks and decide how aggressively to treat those in danger.
The guidelines are expected to apply specifically to patients at "intermediate" risk of a heart attack based on their cholesterol levels, blood pressure, age, and health habits, according to the Wall Street Journal. The article said that the guidelines stop well short of supporting widespread screening, however.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
September 23, 2004
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Coronary calcium score is an effective prognostic tool for patients with diabetes, May 24, 2004
Copyright © 2004 AuntMinnie.com
![Images show the pectoralis muscles of a healthy male individual who never smoked (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; body mass index [BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 28.4; number of cigarette pack-years, 0; forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], 97.6% predicted; FEV1: forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio, 0.71; pectoralis muscle area [PMA], 59.4 cm2; pectoralis muscle volume [PMV], 764 cm3) and a male individual with a smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; BMI, 27.5; number of cigarette pack-years, 43.2, FEV1, 48% predicted; FEV1:FVC, 0.56; PMA, 35 cm2; PMV, 480.8 cm3) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (i.e., CanCOLD) study. The CT image is shown in the axial plane. The PMV is automatically extracted using the developed deep learning model and overlayed onto the lungs for visual clarity.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/genkin.25LqljVF0y.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)