Hi, I had a ct angiogram Dec 21 and my calcium score is 694. My cholesterol is 242. My doctor put me on crestor 10 mg per day. I just got the hard copy report today and my dr. is away for the holidays.... what does that score mean? I have chest pain frequently but they thought it was all in my head....
If there are blockages, a stent implant (usually done at time of angiogram) will increase the diameter of the occlusion/occlusions permitting more blood to the deficit area. Sometimes the area of blockage can not be stented because of location, tortuous segment, too long, etc...then a bypass surgical operation may be the only remedy.
Alternatively, some people find relief from chest pain with medication.
Hi, a CT angiogram is noninvasive as compared to the traditional angiogram and is usually the preferred mode of investigation. CT angiograms will expose you to a small amount of radiation. If you have known coronary artery disease, a traditional coronary angiogram may be a better option, since you can also receive treatment for your artery blockages during a traditional coronary angiogram.
Invasive catheterization can lead to mechanically induced spasm of coronary arteries, but that may history with the advancement of CT multi sliced scan angiogram (low risk of radiation). There is medical documentation where catheter induced coronary spasm was uncovered with a CT angiogram. From what I have read it is not unusual to unintentionly induce a spasm with a cath, and if so how does a doctor differentiate?
I started having heart palpitations/rapid rate about 5 months ago. My regular Dr had me wear a Holter monitor on May 10-11 and then referred me to a heart specialist. I have very low cholesterol/triglicerides, am a dailly walker and work out with weights 2-3 times a week. I am 5'4" and weigh 120. I had an echo cardiogram and it was good, but I took an echo stress test and they took me off the treadmill after 3 minutes because my heart rate was at 200.
I have a history of high cholesterol and am currently on a cholesterol reducing medication as well as a medication to reduce blood pressure. I was offered several options as the next step and opted for a CT angiogram. Given my other results, should I have gone directly to the more conventional angiogram in spite of the slightly greater risk? If there is a good chance that I will need an angiogram anyway, am I not putting myself at risk by going through another step?
I had a 64 slice corornary angiogram ct. It revealed a 100% blockage of my RCA with good collaterols - so my cardio is doing nothing. All the other arteries were clear. If I am not mistaken, the 64 slice ct also shows soft plaque, and a regular angiogram does NOT show that. Most heart attacks are caused by soft plaque. My calcium score in my LAD was 3 - all the rest were 0 - so I guess that gave me some piece of mind. It is much less invasive that a regluar angiogram.
I have had CT angiogram (normal) Calcium screening ( scored 0), Stress test (normal), MRI of Cervical Spine ( lots of bulging Disks and Lesion at C-5 level), Ct of abdomen (diverticulosis), MANY EKG's (normal), Echo (normal), Corotid doppler (normal), Endoscopy (esophogitis), TONS of bloodwork (normal), I know i forgot something. This has all been going on for over 6 months now.
My docs (and i have many) are all saying anxiety.
It bothered me so told gp who said sounded like angina and sent me for CT of heart. This revealed mild stenosis in left descending artery and advised me to do on aspirin and statins which i have been taking since last july. I had CT with contrast in august which confirmed other CT and cardiologist put me on 5mg bisoprolol which i have been taking. I feel my throat tight/tense still when waling for a while - up, straight and downhill.
Can you have a CT done every month? Of course not. A CT--even with the very slight risk of cancer--is safer than an angiogram. Angiograms are very safe, but not without risk.
The CT is noninvasive, and it would give you either information that you are developing heart disease, or it would give you piece of mind that you are not. Either answer would be useful to you.
If you continue to have exercise related chest pain, you can discuss the possibility of getting a coronary angiogram with your cardiologist. During this test the cardiologist can directly visualize the heart’s blood vessels and see whether or not significant blocks to blood flow exist. In the context of a negative coronary CT angiogram, this too might show that the blood supply to your heart muscle is good.
The CT scan 64 slice is not the state-of-art for CAD detection. The CT scan 256 slice 3D images is very good as the images provide a view as if actually seeing the source. The 3D CCG differs from CT as it measures blood velocity to determine fault that may or may not be due to blockage but another cause. A cath angiogram has the advantage if there is blockage, the blockage can be stented at the time, and it is not painful at all!.
The non-invasive CT-scan 64-slice angiogram provides a complete anatomy of the coronary areteries as well as the respiratory system (lungs, etc.). This test is especially recommended for someone who has a family history as it views any sodft plaque that may build up between the inner layer and outer layer of the vessel. Soft plaque is high risk for heart attack as the soft plaque may rupture through the inner layer causing a blood clot that can cause a heart attack or stroke.
It sounds to me like he wants to discuss the issue with other colleagues to try and come to a conclusion. When you say "ct of chest" do you mean a CT Angiogram of the heart? If so, I assume this showed no blockages which is why the Nuclear scan is unbelievable?
Did you have chest pains during any of the tests?
Yes, CT scan 128 slice angiogram does provide a score that indicates the degree of soft plaque within each coronary artery and the total score. There has been some analysis of the score and MI's and the evaluation provides a risk calculation on a yearly basis. My score (over 1000) indicates a risk of a 20% event within a year.
Your medication should help prevent any progression and help prevent any rupture.
If you want my truthful opinion, I would go for the angiogram. This is because of two things. First the there are risks, but driving a car carries risks, as does crossing the road. Life is full of risk. However, the risk for Angiogram is tiny. Let's say you go for the CT-64 slice, which my Cardiologists have all hated, and they find that there is a blockage which warrants further investigation, you will still need an angiogram after.
The doctor said there is a very very mild change in the stress test and considering my family history (2 of my fathers younger brothers died due to heart attack) suggested for an invasive angiogram to rule out any possibility of a heart problem. He also added it need not be done immediately but may in period of 2 to 3 months.
With the above can anyone tell me how serious is my problem is and how fast should i det done the angiogram. Should i go for invasive or non invasive.
s father had had a CT angiogram and now the doctor wanted to do a cath angiogram. I meant to say and said the cath angiogram was unnecessary unless it was agreed and understood that there would in all probablity be angioplasty (stent, balloon) with a cath angiogram. there is a higher than expected probability there would be a stent implanted with a cath angiogram ...there are statistics available).
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