Validation of Coronary Artery Disease Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) and Application of Coronary Artery Calcium Data and Reporting System (CAC-DRS) as New Standardized Tools in the Management of Coronary Artery Disease Patients

Background and Objectives: The coronary artery disease reporting and data system (CAD-RADS) is intended to standardize the reporting of CCTA and the subsequent management guidelines of CAD. The present study was conducted to investigate the validation of CAD-RADS and the application of coronary calcium grading in CAD management. Patients and Methods: The current study is a single-center prospective study that involved 177 participants with chest pain who were submitted to coronary CT angiography (CCTA). Two reviewers independently assessed CCTA results and gave each patient a CAD-RADS category. The reference standard for determining the clinical utility of CAD-RADS was invasive coronary angiography (ICA). The inter-reviewer agreement (IRA) was tested using the intra-class correlation (ICC). Results: The study enrolled 111 cases with non-significant CAD and 66 cases with significant CAD based on ICA findings. According to the reviewer, the CAD-RADS had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 90.9 to 100%, 89.2 to 94.6%, and 93.16 to 93.2%, respectively, for predicting severe CAD. The IRA for CAD-RADS categories was excellent (ICC = 0.960). The best cut-off value for predicting severe CAD was CAD-RADS > 3. Significant relation between Ca and severe CAD (p<0.001) was detected. Conclusion: The current study provides a good understanding of CAD-RADS as a standard tool with high diagnostic accuracy.

Automated summary

The study confirmed that CAD-RADS is a standard tool with high diagnostic accuracy and practicality in clinical practice. Additionally, a significant relationship between coronary calcium grading and severe CAD was detected.