Cardiac Calcium Scoring
According to the American Heart Association, more than 84 million people in the U.S. suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease. Heart disease can lead to heart attacks, strokes or other serious complications. One of the major contributors to heart disease is arteriosclerosis or the build-up of plaque in the arteries. If diagnosed, arteriosclerosis can be halted and, in some cases, reversed.
Cedar Park Regional Medical Center offers a cardiac calcium scoring test that measures the amounts of calcium in the coronary arteries that may contribute to plaque build-up. This test may help to identify arteriosclerosis in patients who have the early stages of heart disease and may not be exhibiting symptoms.
The 5-minute cardiac scoring test requires no preparation and results are available within an hour. This simple and painless test provides your physician with two key pieces of information - the presence or absence of coronary calcium in your heart and the degree of calcification in your heart.
Following the test, your doctor will review the results with you and provide you with a personalized report that includes cardiac images, information about your heart health and tips for living a healthy lifestyle. Based on the findings and other risk factors, your physician may make recommendations concerning lifestyle changes, medication or the need for additional cardiac testing.
Cardiac scoring is especially recommended for patients who are at risk for heart disease. If you have/are any of the following risk factors, ask your doctor about cardiac scoring at Cedar Park Regional Medical Center:
- High cholesterol
- Family history of heart disease
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- History of smoking
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Overweight
- Males between the ages of 35-70
- Females between the ages of 40-70
Cardiac scoring is not covered by insurance.
For more information, please call (512) 528-7000