EXTENT & SIGNIFICANCE OF CORONARY ARTERY CALCIFICATION

缺血性心脏病是慢性肾功能衰竭（CRF）患者发病和死亡的最常见原因。虽然有几个已知的与冠状动脉疾病相关的危险因素，但对于冠状动脉病变的检测来说，没有一个是非常敏感或特定的。可以检测冠状动脉病变的诊断方式往往是昂贵的和/或侵入性的。电子束计算机断层扫描（EBCT）的出现提供了一种相对诊断的成像方式，可能被证明是一种有用的筛查工具，可用于检测和监测这一高危人群的冠状动脉疾病。

Ischemic heart disease is the commonest cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). While there are several known risk factors associated with coronary artery disease, none are very sensitive or specific for the detection of coronary artery lesions. The diagnostic modalities which can detect coronary artery lesions tend to be expensive and/or invasive. The advent of electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) provides a relatively diagnostic imaging modality that may prove useful as a screening tool in the detection and monitoring of coronary artery disease in this high-risk group.