CT Cardiac Calcium Scoring Screening
CT Calcium Scoring is a 10-15 minute non-invasive computerized tomography (CT) study that detects deposits of plague in the walls of the heart. These deposits are an early sign of heart disease and can identify if a person is at an increased risk for heart attack.
Calcium scoring measures the amount of calcification in the arteries around the heart. These calcifications indicate coronary atherosclerosis or so called “hardening of the arteries”, which is the leading cause of death in America. The more calcification present, the higher the calcium score and the greater the likelihood of significant heart disease. A high calcium score indicates an increased risk of adverse cardiac event in the next 5 years.
Are you a candidate for coronary artery calcium scoring?
Men over 40 and women over 50 who do not currently have symptoms of heart disease or a history of blocked arteries, but have these risk factors:
- Family history of coronary artery disease
- Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
- High Bad Cholesterol (LDL)
- Low Good Cholesterol (HDL)
- Cigarette Smoking
The CT Calcium Score test is currently not covered by most insurance companies and is therefore a self pay test.
