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Calcium Scan (Heart Scan)

What is a Calcium Scan?

A Heart-Scan^TM or Dual-Source CT Coronary Angiogram of the heart allows the rapid detection of heart disease in its earliest stages. A specialised CT scanner is used to detect levels of coronary calcium accumulating in the arteries. Levels of coronary calcium are an indication of the presence of heart disease.

How do I know if I need the test?

If you have any of the major risk factors of heart disease you may benefit from a Calcium Scan. Please speak to our Medical Team or your doctor for further advice.

How do I prepare for the test?

No preparation is needed for the scan. No fasting, gowns or needles.

What will happen during the test?

You will be taken into the scanning room and asked to lie down on the scanning bed. Our radiographer will tell you when the scan is about to commence. You will be asked to hold your breath for a few seconds and then you simply lie on our scanning table while we acquire pictures of your heart.

What will the test result tell me?

You will be presented with a report and a calcium score which will tell you the presence or progress of heart disease.

What happens next?

Depending on the presence of mild, moderate or high levels of coronary calcium you will receive recommendation on whether further tests are needed and how to manage existing disease. You should have a repeat scan every 2 years to monitor the progress of calcium accumulation and detect heart disease at its earliest stages.

What is the Heart-Scan advantage?

- Quicker scan

- Better image quality

- Lower radiation dose


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Topic	Description
Why Get a Scan	A CT scan is a simple, non-invasive way to detect health problems before a person shows any symptoms. Such early detection leads to better treatment outcomes and can save lives. Consider the facts: Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Current estimates show that more than 70 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease. This "silent killer" is a slow, progressive disease that can begin early in life and go undetected for years. For 150,000 Americans annually, the first and only symptom of heart disease is a fatal heart attack. Many of those who suffer a fatal heart attack have average or unremarkable cholesterol levels, normal stress or exercise treadmill tests and few, if any, of the major risk factors. The earlier heart disease is detected, the greater the chance it can be slowed, or stopped or possibly reversed. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women, as reported by the American Cancer Society. More people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. In 2000, approximately 164,000 new lung cancer cases were diagnosed and there were an estimated 157,000 lung cancer deaths. If lung cancer is detected and treated early, before it has spread to lymph nodes or other organs, the 5-year relative survival rate is about 42%. However, according to the American Cancer Society, few lung cancers are detected at this early stage. Colorectal cancers are the third most common cancers in men and women, as reported by the American Cancer Society. In 2000, an estimated 131,000 people developed colorectal cancer and an estimated 56,000 deaths occurred due to colorectal cancer. For people whose colorectal cancer is found and treated in an early stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 90%. But, according to the American Cancer Society, only 37% of colorectal cancers are found at that early stage. Once the cancer has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate drops to 65%. For those whose colorectal cancer spreads to the liver or the lungs, the 5-year relative survival rate is 8%. More than 40% of post-menopausal women are at risk for developing osteoporosis and up to 50% are at risk for a preventable fracture. The Osteoporosis Foundation states that in the U.S. today, 10 million people already have the disease and 18 million more have low bone mass resulting in an increased risk for the disease. Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures per year. An average of 24% of hip fracture patients, age 50 and over, die within a year of the fracture event.
Results	After your heart scan is finished, your doctor will share the results with you. If you'd like a copy of your scan, ask your doctor, since copies aren't routinely given. If your coronary calcium score is high, that may mean more aggressive treatment of your heart attack risk factors, such as medications or lifestyle changes, is needed. Your doctor may also recommend more-invasive tests, such as coronary angiography, based on your scan results. The theory behind using heart scans is that the more calcification you have, the worse your heart disease. But even having very small amounts of calcium might indicate that you could go on to develop heart disease unless you take aggressive measures to stop it, such as eating a healthier diet, reducing your cholesterol and quitting smoking. Also, having calcium in your coronary arteries may not necessarily mean that you have heart disease. It's possible you could have false-positive results, meaning there's an error on the scan. That means you might get unnecessary and invasive tests, such as coronary angiography, that could cause you to worry needlessly about your health. The flip side is also true: If a heart scan shows your arteries are free of calcium, it doesn't necessarily mean you don't have heart disease. The plaques that build up in your arteries are initially soft and only become hard and calcified over time. So you can still have significant plaques clogging your arteries, and the scan won't detect them. These false-negatives can give you a clean bill of health when you actually have heart disease or are at risk of developing it. Heart scan technology continues to improve, and scientists are learning more about the role of calcium in heart disease. In the meantime, don't overlook the traditional risk factors that can increase your chance of developing heart disease, such as smoking and high cholesterol levels. And remember that if you do have a heart scan, it's useful only if you actually follow up with your doctor and make lifestyle changes that can prevent worsening heart disease.
The Procedure	A heart scan takes only a few minutes. The scan is noninvasive � it requires no needles, cutting or medications to make you fall asleep or relax. The scan will show the calcium in your heart arteries by a using computerized tomography (CT) scan. A CT scan is an X-ray technique that produces images of your internal organs that are more detailed than are those produced by conventional X-ray exams. CT scans use an X-ray generating device that rotates around your body and a very powerful computer to create cross-sectional images, like slices, of the inside of your body. Calcium deposits show up as bright white spots on the scan. The standard imaging technique for coronary arteries uses electron beam computerized tomography (EBCT, also called ultra-fast CT). Before the scan, you may be asked to change into a hospital gown, although some facilities don't require it. You'll lie on a table with a few electrodes attached to your chest. The table will slide into the CT scanner, which creates the images. You may be asked to hold your breath for a few seconds so that the technicians can get clear images of your heart. After a few minutes, your doctor or technician will have a score that helps estimate your heart attack risk � and may help guide treatment. In addition to identifying calcium, CT scans can produce detailed pictures of your heart arteries to show the presence any narrowing (stenosis) of your heart arteries due to coronary artery disease. For this type of cardiac CT, dye is injected into a vein to visualize the coronary arteries (called CT angiography). After the procedure There aren't any special precautions you need to take after having a heart scan. You should be able to drive yourself home and continue your daily activities.
Services Heart Scan offers	Heart Scan offers the following services: * Coronary Artery Scan (Calcium Scoring) * Computed Tomography Angiogram (CTA) * Lung Scan * Bone Density Scan * Mesenteric Fat Measurement
How to prepare	Most experts agree that you should visit your doctor for an exam before heading to the nearest walk-in center for a heart scan. This can provide additional information on your heart attack risk for your doctor to consider. This exam should include: * A review of your medical history and your family medical history * A physical exam including blood pressure measurement * A risk assessment, including questions about your exercise and smoking habits * Blood tests, including your cholesterol levels Otherwise, you don't need any special preparations to have a heart scan.
Risks	Heart scans use electron beam computerized tomography (EBCT) scan techniques to see the calcium in your arteries. This type of scan does have some risks. One EBCT scan of the heart, for instance, could expose you to the same amount of radiation as could up to 25 to 33 chest X-rays. Repeated heart scans over time could expose you to excessive levels of radiation and an increased risk of cancer. Because of the radiation risks, you shouldn't have a heart scan if you're pregnant. Another type of heart scan uses computerized tomography (CT) angiography to show narrowing of your heart arteries. If you have this procedure, you could have an allergic reaction to the medication that's used during the procedure. A caution on walk-in heart scan clinics Certain medical facilities and walk-in centers may advertise heart scans as a quick, easy way to measure your risk of a heart attack. These advertisements often target the worried well - people who worry that they might have a particular disease even if they seem healthy and have no known risk factors. Facilities that promote heart scans for the general public don't require a referral from a doctor. You can walk in off the street and get the scan. However, these scans might not be covered by your insurance. If you decide to have a heart scan, it may be best to have it done through your primary doctor, since he or she already knows your other risk factors for a heart attack. If you opt for a walk-in scan, be sure to take a copy of the results to your own doctor for follow-up. He or she can help you decide what steps you may need to take improve your heart health and prevent a heart attack.
When a heart scan may be useful	A heart scan may give you information about your heart attack risk if you fall into the intermediate heart attack risk category. This means, based on your risk factors, your risk of having a heart attack in the next 10 years falls somewhere between 10 percent and 20 percent. For example, you may be considered to have an intermediate heart attack risk if you're between the ages of 55 and 65 years and you have borderline high cholesterol or blood pressure or are a smoker. Your doctor can help you determine what your risk level is. A heart scan may be useful if you're at intermediate risk or if you have chest pain, especially if it's unclear whether a heart problem is the culprit.
Why it is done	Heart scans use noninvasive techniques to measure the amount of calcium in the walls of your coronary arteries � the arteries that supply your heart with blood. Having calcium in the walls of your arteries could mean that you have a type of heart disease called coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is a leading cause of heart attacks. Coronary artery disease occurs when plaques build up and narrow your arteries (atherosclerosis). The plaques are made of fat, cholesterol and calcium. It's the calcium in those plaques that the heart scans can detect. Some researchers think the amount of calcium present can be used to calculate a score that, when combined with other health information, helps determine your risk of coronary artery disease or heart attack. But the use of heart scans has been controversial. Heart scans may not be useful for you if, based on your family history and risk factors, you fall into either a low or high risk category for having a heart attack. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have created guidelines to determine if a heart scan may be useful in deciding whether you need to take action to prevent a heart attack within three to five years. The guidelines are based on risk factors for coronary artery disease, such as age, sex, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and tobacco use.
What is Heart Scan	Heart scans, also known as coronary calcium scans, provide pictures of your heart's arteries (coronary arteries). Doctors use heart scans to look for calcium in the coronary arteries and look for blockages. The result of this test is often called a coronary calcium score. Heart scans may indicate if you have a higher risk of having a heart attack or other problems before you have any obvious symptoms of heart disease. Heart scans aren't for everyone, though. While some walk-in medical facilities advertise that you can walk in for a quick check of your coronary arteries, you should be cautious of these approaches. It's still unclear whether heart scans should be used widely. Routine use of heart scans on people who don't have any symptoms of heart disease is not recommended by the American Heart Association or the American College of Cardiology.