Definition of Heart Scan

Heart scans , also known as coronary calcium scans, take pictures of your heart's arteries (coronary arteries). Doctors take the help of heart scans to look for calcium in the coronary arteries as well as blockages. The result of this exam is also called a coronary calcium score.
Heart scans will tell you if you have a higher risk of having a heart attack or other problems a lot before you have any obvious symptoms of heart disease . Heart scans or Calcium Scans are however not for everybody. While some walk-in medical facilities advertise that you can walk in for a quick check of your coronary arteries, you should be careful. The extent to which heart scans can be safely used is unclear.
Routine use of heart scans on people who do not show symptoms of heart disease is not recommended by physicians.
Heart scans use noninvasive techniques to assess the amount of calcium in the walls of your coronary arteries. Having calcium in the walls of your arteries prove that you have a type of heart disease called coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease is the main cause of heart attacks. Coronary artery disease occurs when plaques clog and narrow your arteries (atherosclerosis). These plaques are made of fat, cholesterol and calcium. Heart scans detect the calcium in those plaques.
The use of heart scans has been controversial. Heart scans may not be good for you if, based on your family history and risk factors, you fall into a low or high risk category for having a heart attack. Doctors have created guidelines to determine if a heart scan may be useful in deciding whether you need to take action to prevent a heart attack within three to five years, and these should strictly be followed.