Atherosclerosis is considered a systemic disease, and its presence in
any site of the arterial system in the body raises suspicion of its
presence somewhere else. Since atherothrombosis represents the most
common cause of stroke, it is important to investigate whether coronary
artery calcification, a commonly used measure of cardiac atherosclerotic
burden, can be a similarly useful measure of atherosclerotic burden in
the brain. This review aimed to summarize the current evidence regarding
the role of CAC in the detection and prevention of cerebrovascular
disease. CAC is an independent risk factor of stroke development, and
using it to supplement traditional risk factors may allow better
identification of higher-risk groups. Intermediate risk patients with
elevated CAC scores can be started on statin therapy. CAC score may hold
promise in identifying patient groups most likely to benefit from
aspirin therapy. In addition, it may have a role in the identification
of stroke patients who may benefit from closer cardiac monitoring as it
can aid traditional scores in the detection of coronary pathology in
stroke survivors.