Coronary Calcium CT Screening Exam

Coronary vessels screening is appropriate for men over 45 and women over 55 years, who are at intermediate risk for future heart attack, meaning that they have one or more major risk factor for coronary heart disease. Early detection of coronary artery disease allows patients and their physicians to change risk factors in order to significantly reduce the potential for advanced coronary heart disease. Coronary calcium CT screening exam detects and measures calcium in the walls of coronary arteries. Calcium is an indicator of atherosclerosis and is highly predictive of coronary artery disease.

The procedure is totally non-invasive - no needles, no contrast, no injections - which shows the location and amount of calcified plaques that narrow or close the coronary arteries. You simply lie on the CT scanner table, hold your breath, and multiple pictures of your heart are taken. For the patient, it's as simple and painless as having a chest x-rays taken. The entire process takes only a few minutes.

Normal Coronary Vessels

Heavily calcified coronary vessels with a score over 2000