Coronary calcium scan & bull; hello healthy

Definition

What is a coronary calcium scan?

Coronary artery disease is a disease that causes heart attacks and death. This disease occurs when there is plaque on the artery walls of your heart, causing narrowing (atheroscelorosis). The plaque sticks to the artery walls and then causes fat, cholesterol, and calcium. The heart monitor can detect the calcium in these plaques. The amount of calcium in the plaque can be used to detect coronary artery disease or heart attack if there are other health conditions. The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart. Usually the coronary arteries do not contain calcium. Calcium in the coronary arteries may be a symptom of coronary artery disease (CAD).

A CT scan captures a thin image of the heart. These images are usually recorded on a computer and stored for research or printed as photographs.

When should I have a coronary calcium scan?

A heart scan will provide information about your risk of heart attack if you have had a moderate heart attack. This means, based on these risk factors, your risk of having a heart attack in the next 10 years can decrease by about 10-20 percent. For example, you may be predicted to be at moderate risk of having a heart attack, you are around 55 to 65 years of age, and you have high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, or you are a smoker. Your doctor will help you determine your risk level. A heart scan will be useful if you are at an intermediate level or have chest pain, especially if you are not sure what is causing your heart problem.

There is also some evidence that people whose calcium scores are at risk of developing heart disease will be more motivated to adopt a healthy lifestyle, such as losing weight and quitting smoking than people who are not scanned.

Precautions & warnings

What should I know before having a coronary calcium scan?

The use of heart scans is controversial. A heart scan may be of great use to you if you have a family history or risk factors for heart disease.

Low risk of heart attack

For example, if you are less than 55 years old, cholesterol levels and blood pressure are normal, you do not smoke, your risk of heart attack is less than 10 percent, and you are in the low-risk category. This means that because you only have a small risk, your risk of suffering a heart attack in the next 10 years is also small. Therefore a heart scan may not tell you anything.

High risk of heart attack

Having a heart attack risk of 20 percent or more in the next 10 years means you are at higher risk. If your cholesterol and blood pressure levels are high, you are a smoker, and you are over 65 years old, then you really fall into this category. If you are at risk, then a heart scan will not explain well, because you and your doctor already know the risk. You should do something to prevent the appearance of heart attacks, for example taking drugs and changing your lifestyle.

You may also not need a heart scan if you already know that you have a heart attack or have had a surgical procedure, such as angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery. In this case, the doctor already knows that you have coronary artery disease and are at high risk. A heart scan will not provide more information about managing your disease.

Process

What should I do before undergoing a coronary calcium scan?

You don't need to make any preparations before this test. However, you will be asked not to smoke or consume anything containing caffeine in the hours before the test. Tell your doctor if you are or will become pregnant. This test is not performed on pregnant women. Contact your doctor for more information about this test, its risks, and how it works.

How is the coronary calcium scan process?

It is recommended that you remove any jewelry that might affect the CT scan results. You may also be asked to remove your clothes. If so, you will be given special clothing to wear during the test. Sometimes in some CT scans, you may wear clothes. If so, don't wear clothes that have zippers on them.

A small disc called electrodes will be placed on your chest. The cable is then connected to an EKG machine which records the electrical activity of your heart on the EKG paper. The EKG will be done while your heart is at rest, the best time for the EKG. If your heart rate is 90 beats per minute or higher, you will be given medicine to reduce your heart rate. During the test, you will lie on a table connected to the CT scan. This scanner is shaped like a wide donut.

The table is round and the scanner rotates to fit your body. The table will shift little by little when taking pictures. You may hear clicking and buzzing sounds as the table and scanner move. You may be asked to hold your breath for 20 to 30 seconds while an image of the heart is taken. It is very important to hold your breath properly while the image is being taken. During this test, you are usually alone in the room. However, a radiologist will monitor you through a window. You may communicate with the radiologist via a two-way intercom.

What should I do after having a coronary calcium scan?

After doing the test, contact your doctor. There are no special precautions that you should pay attention to after having a heart scan. You should be able to go home on your own and get right back to your daily activities.

Explanation of the Test Results

What do my test results mean?

The theory of using heart scans is this: the more tests you do, the more disease you have. However, even if your calcium is low, it can also indicate that your heart disease can develop more severely unless you try hard to stop it such as eating a healthy diet, reducing cholesterol, and quitting smoking.

In addition, if there is a lot of calcium in your coronary arteries, it is not certain that coronary artery disease will definitely infect your body or you will have a heart attack. Therefore, if the scan shows calcium in the arteries, then you should order an invasive test, such as coronary angiography.

The test result you will get is the amount of calcium present in the arteries. The number ranges from 0 to more than 400. A test result of 100 or more indicates that you have heart disease. The higher your test score, the greater your risk of having a heart attack. People with a score of 100 to 400 or more are people who have had a moderate level of heart disease, perhaps 3 to 5 years more likely to have a heart attack than people who have a score of 0.