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SCREENING FOR CARDIOVASCULAR AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in this country; almost double that of the combined death rate from all cancers. Over one million people in the U.S. will have a heart attack this year. Unfortunately, sudden death is the first sign of any cardiovascular disease affecting 150,000 people each year. Several studies have shown that patients with coronary calcifications are 4.2 times as likely, on average, to have a significant coronary event such as an acute heart attack. The amount of calcium in the wall of the vessel roughly correlates with the severity of the disease. More importantly, the absence of any calcium deposits in the wall of the artery indicates with 98% accuracy that there is no coronary artery disease. CT screening of these coronary artery calcifications has emerged as a new way to help determine your risk of a significant cardiac event. Treatment for coronary disease is not only based upon this cardiac scoring but your complete cardiac and family history as well. Therefore, consultation with your internist or cardiologist is an essential part of patient management. The test is performed using the newest generation of CT scanner while you are attached to an EKG machine. No injection is needed and the examination takes just minutes. After the study is completed, the data is transferred to a sophisticated computer workstation. There, the location and amount of calcium in your coronary vessels is determined. You are assigned a score, which reflects the amount of calcification present; the higher the score the more calcium detected. CT screening for coronary artery disease is quick, painless and inexpensive. If you are a high-risk patient or have any of the following this examination could save your life:
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