J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr. 2018 May - Jun;12(3):185-191. doi: 10.1016/j.jcct.2018.03.008. Epub 2018 Mar 30. Hecht HS1, Blaha MJ2, Kazerooni EA3, Cury RC4, Budoff M5, Leipsic J6, Shaw L7.
The goal of CAC-DRS: Coronary Artery Calcium Data and Reporting System is to create a standardized method to communicate findings of CAC scanning on all noncontrast CT scans, irrespective of the indication, in order to facilitate clinical decision-making, with recommendations for subsequent patient management. The CAC-DRS classification is applied on a per-patient basis and represents the total calcium score and the number of involved arteries. General recommendations are provided for further management of patients with different degrees of calcified plaque burden based on CAC-DRS classification. In addition, CAC-DRS will provide a framework of standardization that may benefit quality assurance and tracking patient outcomes with the potential to ultimately result in improved quality of care.