A new noninvasive screening test being used at Wesley Medical Center identifies calcium blockages in the heart and the life-saving results can be available in minutes. Calcium, Lucas explains, appears early in the disease process and indicates the amount of plaque that leads to blockage in the coronary arteries.
Cholesterol causes plaque.
Calcium is easily detected with a CT scanner. Calcium, the culprit Men ages 40 to 70 are likely to have some form of calcium present in their coronary arteries, Lucas says, as are women 45-70. Risk factors include high cholesterol, diabetes and a family history of heart disease. The calcium appears as white blotches or streaks on the high-speed pictures that emerge of a patient's heart minutes after he or she emerges from the scanner in the next room. The lower the score, the healthier the patient's heart is.