HeartView Scan

Is heart disease a part of your future?You can answer this question with a simple test. The HeartView Scan is a noninvasive way to detect health problems before symptoms occur. The scan takes approximately 10 minutes and is performed on a state-of-the-art 64-slice CT scanner.

This test measures the amount of atherosclerotic "plaque" in the coronary arteries. Plaque is the substance that builds within the walls of the arteries and can cause a heart attack if the arteries become blocked. Early detection is the key to treating heart disease.

Your test result is a number that is your calcium score. The score can range from 0 to more than 400. Any score over 100 means that you are likely to have heart disease. The higher your score, the greater your chance of having a heart attack. People who score between 100 and 400 or higher, and who are at medium risk for heart disease, are more likely to have a heart attack in the next 3 to 5 years than people who score lower.

Who Should Have This Test?In general, people who are of intermediate risk benefit most. Those who would be most likely to benefit from the HeartView scan are:

• People with a family history of stroke or heart disease
• Those with diabetes
• People who are 20 pounds or more overweight
• Smokers
• People who have been diagnosed with high cholesterol
• Males over 45 and females over 55

HeartView Scan

A normal coronary calcium scan of the heart, showing no plaque.

Plaque shows white on the scan. The white is the calcium deposit in the artery, a strong predictor of coronary artery disease.

Fast Facts about the HeartView Scan