Quantitative plaque measures, including Total Plaque Burden (TPB) and Noncalcified Plaque Burden (NCPB), are independent predictors of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) in patients with a first diagnosis of coronary artery disease.
Even in symptomatic outpatients with relatively low total plaque volumes, specific volumetric thresholds (e.g., TPV ≥87 mm³) are associated with a nearly two-fold increase in cardiovascular risk.
The shift from qualitative ‘stenosis-centric’ assessment to quantitative ‘plaque-centric’ analysis provides incremental prognostic value over standard clinical risk scores and qualitative CCTA findings.
These findings from the PROMISE trial substudy underscore the potential for automated, AI-driven plaque quantification to refine personalized risk stratification in early-stage CAD.
