A coronary CT calcium scoring is a test that doctors perform to measure the amount of calcium plaques within your arteries.
Calcium plaques are small deposits that form within your blood and can eventually restrict the flow of blood to your heart. The higher the number of plaques that are present, the more likely you are to have heart disease and therefore are at an increased risk of having a heart attack. By measuring your calcium score – the number of calcium plaques within your blood – doctors are able to assess your risk and make recommendations to reduce your risk in the future.
Let’s explore this important screening process in detail.
Why should I have a calcium-score screening scan?
This type of heart scan allows doctors to get a really clear understanding of how likely you are to develop heart disease and your risk of having a heart attack. It can also help identify heart disease when no other symptoms are present.
It does this by giving an early indication of the number of plaques that may be present. By identifying whether you are at high risk at an early stage, doctors can make recommendations such as lifestyle modifications or medications, that could drastically reduce your risk in the future. It is a preventative step to protect the long-term health of your heart.
What is a calcium plaque?
A plaque is a deposit of fats, cholesterol and calcium in the blood. They take a long time to develop but when they build up within the arteries, they can cause blockages, which stops blood from getting to the heart. The medical name for this is atherosclerosis. Sometimes, a piece of plaque can also break off, or burst, which can lead to a heart attack.
The exact cause of calcium containing plaques is unknown, but atherosclerosis is known to increase with age, and be more common in those who have a poor diet.
Who should have the scan?
This type of heart scan is recommended for anyone over the age of 35, who has other risk factors for coronary artery disease. These include:
- Family history of heart disease or heart attacks
- Smoking (past or present)
- A history of high blood pressure or high cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Being overweight or obese
- Living an inactive lifestyle
How is the scan performed?
The scan is a completely non-invasive procedure that takes around 30 seconds to perform. It is carried out by a CT technologist and radiologist.
When you arrive, you will be asked to wear a hospital gown and remove anything that contains metal, as this can interfere with the scanning machine. You will be asked to lie down on the CT table and the team will place electrodes on your chest which will monitor you heart rate. The table will move as you pass through the scanner and a series of images are taken. The team will ask you to hold your breath and keep very still, but the whole procedure is over very quickly. You must tell your doctor if you are pregnant or if you are having any other radiation treatment.
What is a CT scan?
CT stands for computed tomography. It is scan that uses X-ray technology to provide accurate pictures of inside your body. X-rays use radiation, but the exposure is at a very low level, that is considered safe. The CT scan takes a number of pictures of your arteries as your heart beats.
What happens next?
The radiology team will look at the images taken by the CT scanner to see if there are any calcium plaques present. You will then be given a calcium score. This is a number that is calculated by taking into account the amount of plaque that is seen in your scan pictures.
The higher your calcium score, the higher your risk of developing heart disease and having a heart attack. A negative score shows that no calcium plaques are present.
What do you do with these results?
For any score above zero, your doctors will advise preventative steps to take immediately to reduce your risk of heart disease. This may include prescribing medication or making lifestyle changes such as a better diet, increasing exercise and quitting smoking. The higher your score, the more changes you will need to make. Very high scores may indicate a severe blockage, so you will be referred to a coronary specialist.
Talk to your doctor about coronary CT calcium scoring if you are over 35 and living with any of the risk factors for coronary artery disease mentioned above.