Beyond Cholesterol Numbers: Dr. Wallace Brucker Brings AI-Powered Cardiac Plaque Screening to Las Vegas Executives at LV Longevity Lab
LAS VEGAS, NV, Oct. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Using FDA-cleared Cleerly AI analysis of coronary CT angiography, LV Longevity Lab looks directly at the arteries — settling whether plaque exists and personalizing decisions about medications like statins within a scientifically structured longevity plan
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and its first symptom is too often a heart attack. For high-performing executives — who carry demanding schedules, chronic stress, and frequently overlooked cardiovascular risk — that reality threatens both longevity and livelihood. LV Longevity Lab, led by Dr. Wallace Brucker, MD, is addressing it head-on with a powerful new addition to its proactive health program: advanced cardiac screening using Cleerly, an FDA-cleared artificial intelligence platform that analyzes coronary CT angiography (CCTA) to measure arterial plaque directly.
A central reason Dr. Brucker is excited about the technology comes down to a distinction most patients have never had explained to them: the difference between a marker of risk and a measurement of disease.
"Bloodwork only suggests risk — it's an indirect clue, not a direct answer," said Dr. Brucker. "Cholesterol and LDL levels tell us a patient may be more likely to have a problem, but they don't tell us whether disease is actually present in the arteries. Traditional medicine frequently makes medication decisions — and asks patients to accept the side effects of those medications — based on those surrogate numbers alone."
Direct imaging changes that equation. By looking at the coronary arteries themselves, Dr. Brucker can determine whether plaque is present or not — and use that answer to personalize treatment.
"When we look directly at the arteries, we can put the question of plaque to rest," he said. "If we find significant plaque, we know exactly why aggressive treatment is warranted and we can target it precisely. But if we look and find no plaque, that is enormously valuable information. In the right patient, it may mean a medication like a statin isn't necessary — or can be reconsidered — rather than taking it for years based on a lab value alone. Every one of those decisions is individualized and made under medical supervision; no one should ever adjust a prescription on their own."
That approach is grounded in a growing body of evidence. Standard tests have long focused on narrowing — how much a plaque blocks blood flow — but the plaques that rupture and cause most heart attacks often aren't the ones causing significant narrowing. In the ICONIC study, more than 75% of the culprit lesions responsible for heart attacks were nonobstructive, narrowing the artery by less than 50% and easily missed by blockage-focused testing.
Rather than measuring narrowing, Cleerly's AI quantifies the actual burden and composition of atherosclerotic plaque throughout the coronary arteries. The platform has been validated against expert readers, invasive angiography, and other gold-standard measures, and CCTA itself has demonstrated exceptional diagnostic accuracy — a meta-analysis of 42 studies and 1,360 patients found 93% sensitivity and 92% specificity.
The results can also be staged. A system published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography in 2022 classifies coronary disease into four stages based on plaque volume, from Stage 0 (no measurable plaque) to Stage 3 (severe). The prognostic weight of that staging was demonstrated in a 2023 study in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, which followed patients for a median of more than 10 years: those with the most plaque (Stage 3) had more than three times the risk of major adverse cardiac events, while those with the highest levels of noncalcified plaque faced a fourfold increase. Adding this AI analysis to standard risk factors and calcium scoring significantly improved 10-year risk prediction.
"The finding that resonates most with executives is this: in that long-term study, patients with no measurable plaque experienced essentially no cardiac events over the entire follow-up," said Dr. Brucker. "Knowing your actual stage can reveal a problem early enough to reverse it — or give you genuine, evidence-based peace of mind and, potentially, fewer medications."
For Dr. Brucker, the screening is not a standalone test but a cornerstone of a scientifically structured longevity plan, integrated with comprehensive bloodwork, metabolic and inflammatory markers, hormone evaluation, and fitness testing — and, because plaque can be measured again, tracked over time.
"Executives make high-stakes decisions on the best available data every day," he said. "They deserve the same standard for their own hearts — real data, not guesswork."
Candidacy is determined individually as part of a thorough medical evaluation. Las Vegas executives and proactive patients interested in advanced cardiac screening and longevity care can learn more at https://lvlongevitylab.com.
About LV Longevity Lab
LV Longevity Lab is a Las Vegas-based longevity and optimization medical practice led by Dr. Wallace Brucker, MD. Combining advanced diagnostic testing with personalized, evidence-informed treatment, the practice helps patients optimize cardiovascular health, metabolism, hormones, and long-term vitality so they can look, feel, and perform at their best at every stage of life.
Media Contact
Margaret Brucker
LV Longevity Lab
Las Vegas, Nevada
Website: https://lvlongevitylab.com
info@lvlongevitylab.com
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