Who is a candidate for a heart scan?

In general, if you are at very high or very low risk for heart attack, the heart scan is not recommended. A heart scan is best suited for individuals with intermediate risk of a heart attack. This is usually a patient in between ages 55-65, with borderline elevations in blood sugar or cholesterol. In addition, the patient may be a smoker. A heart scan is also useful in patients who develop chest pain but the cause is not known.