Doctors Imaging Services

Everyone is talking about high cholesterol and methods for lowering cholesterol. And that’s a good start towards living a healthier lifestyle.

Managing your heart health is critical to assuring the quality of life you desire for your future. The lifestyle choices you make today will impact the time you spend in the future with your family, your grandchildren, and even great grandchildren.

Like cholesterol screening, calcium score testing can be an early predictor of heart disease however calcium score has been proven to be a much better test. The calcium score test, a quick and painless procedure, measures the amount of calcium and plaque present in your coronary arteries and predicts the likelihood of a heart attack within the next 5 years.

What is a CT Calcium Score?
The CT Calcium Score is a quick, easy and painless imaging exam to help assess your risk for heart disease (Coronary Artery Disease or CAD). Calcium and plaque build-up in your arteries are an indicator of heart disease. The CT Calcium Score Exam can detect build-up at an early stage, giving you and your doctor time to treat it.

Who should have a CT Calcium Score Exam?
The procedure is most often suggested for men and women aged 45 years or older. The major risk factors for Coronary Artery Disease, other than age, are:

• high blood cholesterol levels
• family history of heart disease
• diabetes
• high blood pressure

• smoking
• overweight
• physically inactive

What ‘score’ indicates healthy arteries and what ‘score’ is a cause for concern?
A negative test that shows no calcification within the coronary arteries suggests that atherosclerotic plaque is minimal and that the chance of CAD developing over the next 2 to 5 years is very low.

A positive test means that CAD is present. The amount of calcification-expressed as a score– may help to predict the likelihood of a myocardial infarction (heart attack) in the coming years.

0	No calcified plaque is seen. Your risk of a heart attack within the next 5 years is very low (less than 5% chance of having heart disease).
1-10	A small amount of plaque is present. Your risk of a heart attack within the next 5 years is low (less than 10% chance of having heart disease).
11-100	Plaque is present. You have mild heart disease. Your chance of having a heart attack within the next 5 years is moderate. Talk to your doctor about potential lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, smoking—if relevant).
101-400	A moderate amount of plaque is present. You have heart disease and plaque that may be blocking an artery. Your chance of having a heart attack is moderate to high. Your doctors may want more tests and may start treatment.
Over 400	A large amount of plaque is present. You have more than a 90% chance that plaque is blocking one of your arteries. Your chance of having a heart attack is high. Your doctor will want more tests and will start treatment.

To find out if this test
is right for you,
CALL
DOCTORS IMAGING
SERVICES
today.
[504] 883-3565

How much does it cost and is it covered by insurance

Medicare may pay for the calcium score test however most other insurance providers won’t. So this important test must be affordable for younger men and women. Many hospitals and other facilities charge well over $400 for Calcium Score testing and that’s just too much. For early detection DOCTORS IMAGING is please to offer the Calcium Score test for an all inclusive special discounted price of $89.00**. This cost includes the exam, performed on our 64-slice CT scanner, as well as the interpretation by our highly trained radiologists. Great equipment allows for fast scheduling and makes it easy for patients to get in and out of our office quickly.
** payment by cash, check, or credit card at the time of service (discounted price) is much less than our usual and customary fee of $178.00 for this test

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