Spotting coronary artery disease before symptoms arise and getting too late
CT Coronary Calcium Score
Detecting calcified plaque on the walls of the heart’s arteries.
- Having regular exercise with no underlying disease does not guarantee that your heart is healthy and there is the absence of coronary artery disease caused by atherosclerotic plaque on the artery wall.
- Coronary Artery Calcium Scan (CAC) is a test to detect atherosclerotic plaque on the walls of the heart’s arteries, leading to restricted blood flow to the heart, acute myocardial infarction or heart attack and chronic myocardial infarction that can be potentially fatal.
- Testing takes 15 – 20 minutes without contrast injection
- It is recommended in people aged over 40 and those with family history of cardiovascular disease.
Coronary Artery Calcium Scan or Heart Scan
Coronary Artery Calcium Scan employs multidetector or multislice computerized tomography (CT) which is the use of special x-ray equipment to produce multiple detailed pictures of the coronary arteries in order to determine if they are blocked or narrowed by the buildup of plaque. A buildup of calcium can narrow the arteries and reduce blood flow to the heart. A coronary calcium scan may show coronary artery disease before you have symptoms.
