Heart Scanning

Heart scan is indispensable for detecting heart disease at an early stage. The scan is a simple non-invasive test. With early detection and modifying risk factors, the potential for acute heart disease can be reduced to a great extent and sometimes even be reversed.
Latest research shows that coronary calcium detected by heart scan predicts heart attack risk more than all the usual risk factors. As the soft cholesterol plaque builds up in the lining of the coronary artery, calcium is deposited, thus forming a composite plaque. The calcium found out in all the coronary arteries is referred to as a calcium score. The calcium score is the sum total of all calcified plaque in all the coronary arteries taken together.

If a person has coronary calcium, he also has plaque, that is coronary atherosclerosis or hardening of the coronary arteries. The technician taking the heart scan must evaluate each artery to ensure that the plaque is indeed in the artery. It is crucial to detect coronary calcium or plaque as early as possible as only then medical treatment can be started to prevent a heart attack or the need for coronary bypass surgery. The higher the calcium score, the higher the chances of having a heart attack or needing coronary bypass surgery.
The calcium score is more predictive of your chance of having a heart attack than all the usual risk factors. Heart scanning thus becomes indispensable to detect and control the disease on time.