Coronary CT angiography with dedicated plaque analysis software found that former NFL players have high levels of silent plaque in their arteries but no symptoms of heart disease. That’s according to research to be presented at this week’s AHA 2026, underscoring the value of CCTA in detecting early signs of coronary artery disease.
Recent research has shown that CCTA can be used for working up patients with symptoms of heart disease.
- But more tantalizing is the modality’s potential to predict who is at risk of coronary events due to issues like plaque buildup in their coronary arteries – before symptoms ever occur.
This has spurred the growth of AI solutions for analyzing CCTA scans to not only detect and quantify the presence of plaque, but also to analyze plaque components to determine if it’s at risk of rupture.
- One such solution is Heartflow Plaque Analysis, which converts CCTA scans into color-coded 3D models of a patient’s coronary anatomy, calculating metrics like total plaque volume and plaque composition.
In the new research, Heartflow Plaque Analysis was used on CCTA scans acquired from 200 retired NFL players enrolled in GAMEFILM, a longitudinal study tracking heart health in former professional athletes. The scans revealed…
- Coronary plaque was present in 85% of former NFL players, but only 13% had a known CAD diagnosis prior to scans.
- 42% had a blockage in at least one of their arteries of 50% or greater, indicating advanced CAD.
- 29% had plaque substantial enough to restrict cardiac blood flow, but less than 10% reported symptoms.
- Almost 90% of the plaque detected was noncalcified, which can have higher disease risk and isn’t detected by coronary artery calcium scores.
- One-third had coronary plaque, putting them in the “severe” or “extensive” category of total plaque volume as calculated by the software.
On the positive side, seeing their plaque results motivated the former players to take action, with almost 90% of those who weren’t already on cholesterol-lowering medications saying they were ready to start treatment.
The Takeaway
Most imaging facilities aren’t going to have former NFL players walk through their doors very often. But the new study highlights the very real risk of coronary plaque for everyone, regardless of whether they ever played professional sports. It’s also a big boost for Heartflow, which is highlighting several important studies at this week’s AHA 2026 (see also The Wire section of this newsletter).