Cardiac CT Examination of Patients at Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack
Risk of heat attack and early diagnosis possible with CT examination
H
eart attacks are currently the most common cause of death in the USA and Europe. Some 500,000 deaths attributable to this disorder occur each year in USA alone.
Of these 25% occur among persons who are less than 70 years old – and 40% without prior symptoms. If you would like to know if you are at risk for heart disease, ask your family doctor about undergoing a Cardiac CT examination. Such an examination can not only tell you more about the calcium load in your coronary arteries, a known predictor of the risk for a heart attack, but also can indicate the presence or absence of lesions called “plaques” which may cause narrowing of these arteries, thus reducing blood supply to the heart muscles which may lead to a heart attack. Only early diagnosis can ensure timely measures to reduce the risk factors and follow-up treatment if necessary to help prevent the onset of heart disease.
 
Who is a high-risk person?
You belong to a high-risk group if any of the following factors apply to you:
 
»
 You have a high cholesterol level
 
»
 You have high triglyceride values
 
»
 You smoke
 
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 You have high blood pressure
 
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 You have family history of heart disease
 
»
 You have diabetes
 
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 Any of the factors in combination with a
sedentary lifestyle
If one or more of the above points apply to you, contact Cardiac Center of Texas to find out more about heart CT for early diagnosis of heart disease.
 
What examination methods are available?
Calcium Scoring
T
he examination can be performed in approximately 15 seconds. The radiation dose is as low as possible comparable to only one third
of the natural radiation received from our atmosphere. A positive coronary calcium score result serves as a good indicator of the risk for certain types of heart attack. A negative calcium score result is a good indicator that coronary vessels are intact.
CT-Angiography of the coronary vessels
T
his detailed examination is performed by injecting a contrast medium (to enhance the display of the
patient’s anatomical cavities and vessels) in a brachial vein. ECG electrodes are positioned on the patient’s chest in order to synchronize the scanner exactly to his/her heart rate. This makes it possible to acquire a complete 3D scan of the heart– a “virtual trip through the heart” – without a catheter in about 20 seconds. The precise results of this examination provide the doctor with information about the condition of the patient’s coronary vessels.
 
What does my calcium score mean?
Doctors use calcium scores, along with conventional risk factors, to estimate your risk of heart disease. Here is example based on a statistical model developed by Dr. Mark Pletcher at the University of California, San Francisco:
Consider a 60-year-old woman who doesn’t smoke and doesn’t have diabetes
The fact that she has
hight blood pressure and
high cholesterol puts her risk of suffering a heart attack or other cardiac event over the next 10 years at
If her calcium score is zero, her risk falls to
If her calcium score is
1-100, her risk is
If her calcium score is
101- 400, her risk jumps to
If her calcium score is
over 400, her risk jumps to
15%
6%-9%
13%-15%
25%-31%
34%-51%
   
Team of cardiovascular specialists
 
 
We are a team of cardiovascular specialists committed to providing you the most state of the art care in the field of cardiovascular medicine.
 
   
 
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