What Is It?
- A non-invasive, painless method of determining if you have coronary artery disease (i.e. a screening exam to see if you have atherosclerotic plaque in your heart).
- The CT scan will take pictures of your heart using x-rays to help determine if there is calcium in your coronary arteries (the blood vessels that supply your heart).
- The study provides a quantitative number of the amount of calcium in your coronary arteries, which your healthcare provider can use to help guide your management.
How Do I Prepare?
- No special preparation needed.
How Is It Done?
- Our technologist will position you on the CT table so you are lying flat on your back.
- You will raise your arms above your head so that we can get the clearest picture of your heart.
- We will place small electrodes (little stickers) on your chest so we can get an EKG tracing to see the electric activity in your heart
- We will provide instructions on how to hold your breath during the scan.
- The CT scan table will quickly move multiple times as the machine takes your picture.
- TOTAL EXAM DURATION: 10 minutes
What Happens Next?
- Results from your exam will be available to you within a few business days and oftentimes on the same day.
- Calcium Scores can range from zero to over a 1,000.
- Your healthcare provider will contact you if they need to make any changes to your medications or if you need further testing. Types of additional testing may include a Coronary CT Angiogram, Nuclear Stress Test, Advanced Nuclear Stress Test or Cardiac Catherization.
Additional Information: https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info/screening-cardiac
