Saturday, 20 April 2013

What is a heart scan?


Heart scans are also known as calcium scans. This radiology technique provides images of the blood vessels that supply the heart. The heart scan is able to detect the amount of calcium deposited on the coronary vessels. It is believed that the calcium deposition is related to the narrowing of the coronary blood vessels. Hence the higher the calcium, the greater the degree of narrowing of the blood vessels.

The heart scan has a computer, which analyses the calcium and calculates the “coronary calcium score.” Heart scans may identify people who are at a risk for developing a heart attack or anginal attacks. Consumers should understand that heart scans are not recommended for routine screens and not meant for everyone with heart disease.

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