SAFETY
During the course of a Coronary Artery Scan, the patient is exposed to radiation approximately equal to that received in an abdominal x-ray. Robert G. Gould, Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of California San Francisco has concluded:
"In summary, an Ultrafast CT scan for detection of coronary artery calcium is a safe procedure. It exposes a limited portion of the body to a small amount of radiation. No hazardous effect of x-rays has ever been demonstrated at the dose levels that result from this procedure."
COMPARISON TO OTHER CARDIAC TESTS
There are numerous tests in addition to a Coronary Artery Scan which a physician can use to assess the condition of a patient's heart: an EKG, a stress test (in all its different varieties - regular treadmill, thallium, echo), a PET scan and angiography. When there are so many different ways to examine the heart, it's natural to wonder which is best. The relevant question however is which is the best test for the specific patient at the specific time.
The Coronary Artery Scan is a screening test for the early detection of heart disease. It's capable of detecting the heart disease process years before any of the above mentioned tests. Typically, once it's established by a Coronary Artery Scan that an asymptomatic (no symptoms) individual is building plaque at a greater than expected rate, it would be appropriate to perform some form of exercise testing to study cardiac function. If a significant functional abnormality is revealed, then the patient will often proceed to angiography.
What About Cholesterol?
Cholesterol tests merely measure the amount of cholesterol in your bloodstream. They tell you nothing about the physical condition of your coronary arteries. You can have low cholesterol and still have serious coronary artery disease, or you can have high cholesterol and no heart disease at all.
