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I have a Special Circumstance:
-Colorado Heart Imaging suggests that middle aged adults (men age 35-65, women 40-70) are best served by EBT coronary imaging. Young people commonly do not calcify plaque and therefore the heartscan may be falsely reassuring. Older senior citizens generally do not need screening tests to look for unexpected plaque. There are exceptions especially when a physician is attempting to make an individualized treatment decision or you have specific risk factors. 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. In general, a heartscan is not useful as we will simply confirm what should be expected -coronary plaque. However, some physicians like to monitor overall plaque burden and the success of medications by serial EBT scanning to determine evidence of progression, stabilization or reversal. In that case, we will usually accept such a patient for that reason (physician referred only). 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. 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. |