Age
Past history of vascular disease
or Chest symptoms
Age extremes
-Front Range Preventive Imaging suggests that middle aged adults
(men age over the age of 35, women over the age of 40) are
best served by EBT coronary imaging. Young people commonly do
not calcify plaque and therefore the heartscan may be falsely
reassuring. There are exceptions especially when a physician is
attempting to make an individualized treatment decision or you
have specific risk factors.
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Previous proven heart attack, bypass or angioplasty or evidence
of peripheral vascular disease
-Individuals with established coronary disease
should be on aggressive therapy (secondary guidelines of NCEP)
to prevent further episodes of heart disease under the care of a
physician.
A heartscan can provide a baseline calcium
score which may be followed over time to determine that
treatment is adequate for arresting progression of disease.
Additionally, a cardiologist may decide to perform a
"noninvasive coronary angiogram" or electron beam angiogram at
our facility to determine whether vessels are open or
obstructed.
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Chest pain or symptoms suggestive of cardiovascular disease
-In the context of an examination by a
knowledgeable physician, the heartscan has been proven to be
very helpful in making judgments about the likelihood that chest
symptoms are cardiac in origin.
In addition, in many circumstances the EBT
heartscan can help in the interpretation of "equivocal" stress
tests. However, our center strongly encourages anyone with
recent onset of chest symptoms to visit their doctor for a full
evaluation and only have our test on his/her recommendation.
If we are made aware of your symptoms, it will
be imperative that you supply your physician's name so we can be
of direct assistance and advice. The cardiology literature
suggests that our heartscan may be the most "cost effective"
first test in cardiology when the likelihood of major blockage
is low to moderate. We will be glad to discuss this literature
with your doctor. In addition, there is a selective role for our
intravenous noninvasive angiogram if recommended by a
cardiologist..
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