Coronary Calcium Score in Greater Boston
A quick heart scan that counts hardened plaque, and 5 clinics in Greater Boston that list it.
- Time
- Under 20 minutes The scan itself is quick
- What you do
- Lie still in a CT scanner No injection
- You get
- A calcium score From zero upward
A coronary calcium score comes from a quick CT scan of your heart, with no injection. It counts the calcium in the walls of your heart arteries, which is a sign of plaque that has hardened, and turns it into a single number.
It is an established test for sharpening heart risk in adults whose risk is unclear from cholesterol and blood pressure alone, and the result can help you and a physician decide about treatment. It uses a low dose of radiation and sees only hardened plaque, not the softer kind.
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Coronary Calcium Score: common questions
Which clinics in Greater Boston list coronary calcium scoring?
5 in our Greater Boston guide: Healthspan Longevity, Innovare Medicine, Synergy Private Health, Exceptional Health and Mass General Brigham Executive Health Program.
How do I prepare?
Many centers ask you to skip food, drinks and caffeine for a few hours beforehand. Follow the instructions you are given.
What does a score of zero mean?
That the scan found no hardened plaque. It does not see softer plaque, so it is one input to your heart risk rather than the whole picture.
Calcium score or CT angiogram?
A calcium score is quicker, uses no injection and sees hardened plaque. A CT angiogram uses contrast dye and also shows softer plaque. They answer different questions.
Sources: ACR and RSNA, RadiologyInfo: Cardiac CT for Calcium Scoring; ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, 2019; ACR and RSNA, RadiologyInfo: Coronary CT Angiography