Frequently Asked Questions
Coronary calcium scoring is a relatively new, highly advanced screening tool. Initially, it was primarily used exclusively by major university hospitals and leading medical centers such as the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, UCLA and other such facilities around the world to evaluate its usefulness in coronary calcium screening. It then became available to independent imaging facilities, and now at INNER IMAGING, you and other patients in the New York and Tri-State area can have the same advantages of this remarkable early detection technology.
You may very well not be at risk. However, because the heart imaging at INNER IMAGING P.C. is so advanced, it provides greater detail and information that could easily have been missed by the diagnostic tests available until now. There are also some factors that one can not control, such as the implications of a family history of heart disease, or living and working in a stressful environment. Therefore, a heart scan could be helpful in determining if there is a higher than expected risk for a heart attack.
Research has shown that while a stress test is valuable to determine various factors of a patient's health, it is not able to detect the earliest signs of heart disease. Therefore, a heart scan at INNER IMAGING P.C. can provide potentially life-saving information to your doctor that a stress test cannot.
Coronary calcified plaque build-up is an indicator of heart disease. This is commonly called "hardening of the arteries." At INNER IMAGING, we will provide you with a "CAC" score that measures the total amount of calcium deposits found in your coronary arteries, based on size and density. For all age groups, the higher the score, the greater the risk of coronary disease. This information will provide your doctor with the vital information needed to determine the next steps in your health maintenance and life extension program.
Based on your Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Score and other risk factors communicated in your health history questionnaire, our on-staff physicians will prepare a full report. This includes recommendations to your physician regarding the next steps which could range from simple behavior and lifestyle modifications, to appropriate medications or further diagnostic procedures.
Generally, our patients request the test through their doctor. If you don't have one we will gladly make a recommendation. Either way, you have the benefit of having expert Cardiologists and Radiologists read your scans and provide a report. Whether you contact INNER IMAGING directly, or through your physician, you still have the option of continuing treatment, if necessary, through Beth Israel Medical Center.
