Current guidelines recommend heart screening by CT scan for patients between 40-75 years old that have between 5 and 20% 10-year risk of ASCVD- atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (commonly known as heart disease), and there is uncertainty on the benefit of treating with medication to lower cholesterol.
Emory Healthcare is committed to your heart and vascular health and provides heart screenings for select patients, with a doctor's order for $100.
To determine your personal risk for heart disease, you should discuss your lifestyle and overall health history with your doctor. The ACC/AHA ASCVD Risk Estimator Plus is a tool that will help your doctor determine your 10-year risk of heart disease considering the following factors:
Coronary Artery Calcium
Scoring Services
Services Overview
Your calcium score (a measurement of hardened plaque in the vessels of your heart) coupled with the overall risk assessment will guide a shared decision conversation between you and your doctor on a personalized prevention strategy.
According to the current guidelines: If you have no coronary calcium, you and your doctor can examine avoiding or postponing drug therapy, considering your other contributing risk factors (personal smoking history, family history of heart disease, etc.).
What is a CT Calcium Score?
CT Calcium Score Is a CT scan of the heart to measure the amount of coronary calcification or hardened plaque in the heart's vessels.
Images from state-of-the-art CT scanners at Emory are used to measure the amount of calcium (hardened plaque) in your coronary arteries. The presence of calcium is an accurate marker of atherosclerosis, which is the hardening of the arteries caused by the buildup of plaque. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. Two-thirds of heart attacks are caused by the rupture of plaques, which do not significantly narrow the coronary artery. Your calcium score measures plaque burden on your arteries. Your calcium score will be provided in terms of both an absolute score and percentile based upon age, gender, and ethnicity. The percentile is a measure of how many people with similar backgrounds have less calcium than you and measure relative risk.
Please discuss this screening and your personal risk for heart disease with your doctor to determine if a CT Calcium Score is right for you. An order is required at the time of scheduling.
There is no prep for this scan. You may follow your regular diet and take your medications as prescribed on the day of your test. Dress comfortably; you will be required to lay flat. Electrode (EKG) stickers will be placed on your chest to allow your images to be timed with your heartbeat to avoid motion. You will be asked to raise your arms beside your head for 2-5 minutes while the technologist does your scan.
The Emory Advantage
We know you have many options for choosing your Heart CT scan, and thank you for choosing Emory. All Heart CT Scans done at Emory facilities are performed on 64-slice or greater CT scanners that do not require any medication to slow your heart rate.
At Emory, your Heart CT will be read by a cardiologist or a radiologist subspecialized in interpreting and diagnosing abnormalities and diseases of the heart. As a teaching and research institution, our providers stay current on medical advancements and are often directly involved in creating new guidelines for diagnosing, treating, and preventing heart disease.
Please discuss your interest in heart screening with your doctor to determine if it is the right test for you.