Novel deep learning system can predict cardiovascular risk from CT scans Coronary artery calcification -- the buildup of calcified plaque in the walls of the heart's arteries -- is an important predictor of adverse cardiovascular events like heart attacks. Coronary calcium can be detected by computed tomography (CT) scans, but quantifying the amount of plaque requires radiological expertise, time and specialized equipment. In practice, even though chest CT scans are fairly common, calcium score CTs are not. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital's Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM) Program and the Massachusetts General Hospital's Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center (CIRC) teamed up to develop and evaluate a deep learning system that may help change this.