Mitral Annular Calcification and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease

Mitral Annular Calcification (MAC) is degenerative, fibrous calcification of the mitral valve support ring.It develops from progressive calcium deposition along and beneath the mitral valve annulus.It was shown to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. MAC is a marker of increased cardiovascular risk .This increased risk occurs in a graded fashion by MAC severity.MAC is associated with several cardiovascular disorders and events, including CAD, carotid and aortic atherosclerosis, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. MAC has also been shown to be associated with mortality in the Framingham heart study. MAC Patients have a higher prevalence of coronary artery disease. As the economic burden is increasing steeply for the diagnosis and management of ischemic heart disease a cheap and available tool is necessary for the prediction of severity of CAD. This observational study was designed to demonstrate in detail the association between MAC and severity of CAD.Echocardiographically detected mitral annual calcification (MAC) can be an independent predictor of significant coronary artery disease.