Coronary Plaque Volume in an Asymptomatic Population: Miami Heart Study at Baptist Health South Florida.

BACKGROUND Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA)-derived plaque burden is associated with the risk of cardiovascular events and is expected to be used in clinical practice. Understanding the normative values of computed tomography-based quantitative plaque volume in the general population is clinically important for determining patient management. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the distribution of plaque volume in the general population and to develop nomograms using MiHEART (Miami Heart Study) at Baptist Health South Florida, a large community-based cohort study. METHODS The study included 2,301 asymptomatic subjects without cardiovascular disease enrolled in MiHEART. Quantitative assessment of plaque volume was performed by using artificial intelligence-guided quantitative coronary computed tomography angiography (AI-QCT) analysis. The percentiles of the plaque distribution were estimated with nonparametric techniques. RESULTS Mean age of the participants was 53.5 years, and 50.4% were male. The median total plaque volume was 54 mm3 (Q1-Q3: 16-126 mm3) and increased with age. Male subjects had greater median total plaque volume than female subjects (80 mm3 [Q1-Q3: 31-181 mm3] vs 34 mm3 [Q1-Q3: 9-85 mm3]; P < 0.001); there was no difference according to race/ethnicity (Hispanic 53 mm3 [Q1-Q3: 14-119 mm3] vs non-Hispanic 54 mm3 [Q1-Q3: 17-127 mm3]; P = 0.756). The prevalence of subjects with total plaque volume ≥20 mm3 was 81.5% in male subjects and 61.9% in female subjects. Younger individuals had a greater percentage of noncalcified plaque. CONCLUSIONS The large majority of study subjects had plaque detected by using AI-QCT. Furthermore, age- and sex-specific nomograms provided information on the plaque volume distribution in an asymptomatic population. (Miami Heart Study [MiHEART] at Baptist Health South Florida; NCT02508454).