Calcium scans may guide statin decisions in a few borderline patients, studies find

Two recent trials evaluated whether coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans, used together with the PREVENT risk calculator, can help decide on statin therapy. The studies compared the imaging results with standard risk scores gathered during a routine visit.

The results indicate that CAC scans affect prescribing decisions only in a small share of borderline patients. For most individuals, the conventional risk assessment is sufficient and no scan is needed.

CAC imaging is not typically covered by insurers and costs patients between $100 and $400, which limits its routine use.

Consequently, while a calcium scan can act as a tiebreaker in select cases, its overall influence on statin use remains modest.