Minneapolis-St Paul clinics›Advanced heart imaging

Minneapolis-St Paul · Guide · Heart imaging

Heart imaging in Minneapolis-St Paul

Scans that look straight at your arteries instead of estimating risk from blood work. Here's what each one shows, who it's for, and which Minneapolis-St Paul clinics offer them.

Main tests: A calcium score or a CT angiogram Plus carotid ultrasound or pulse wave velocity
What you do: A scan of your arteries Ask whether it uses dye or radiation
You get: Images read by a cardiologist or radiologist And what the result changes

Minneapolis photograph by weston m · Unsplash

The scans, in plain English

These scans look at your arteries directly. A calcium score shows hardened plaque, and a CT angiogram shows softer plaque and narrowing. They help most when your risk is borderline and a scan could change your treatment. If your risk is clearly low or clearly high, they usually add little.

Blood tests are like checking the weather forecast. A heart scan is like looking out the window: it shows what's actually there right now.

Calcium score

A quick CT scan of your heart with a low dose of radiation.

Coronary CT angiogram

A dye goes in through an IV so the scan can show soft and hard plaque and any narrowing.

Carotid ultrasound

Sound waves look at the arteries in your neck for plaque or thickening, with no radiation. Experts advise against using it to screen people who have no symptoms.

Pulse wave velocity

Measures how fast your pulse travels along your arteries. Stiffer arteries carry it faster. Quick and painless, but it is mostly a research measure for now.

Heart health in Minneapolis-St Paul, by the numbers

The rate of high blood pressure in Minneapolis-St Paul is lower than the national rate. In Minneapolis-St Paul, 29.5% of adults have high blood pressure, compared with 34.4% nationally. That adds up to roughly 780,000 adults across nine counties.

29.5%of adults in Minneapolis-St Paul have high blood pressureUS: 34.4%

780,000adults in Minneapolis-St Paul have high blood pressureEstimated from CDC county figures

1Minneapolis-St Paul clinic lists advanced heart imagingSee them below

Minneapolis-St Paul does better than the US on all 3 measures

Share of each group named, 2023. Lower is better.

High blood pressure

29.5%

34.4%

High cholesterol (of those checked)

32.8%

36.4%

Coronary heart disease

5.2%

6.3%

↓ Data

By county

County	High blood pressure	High cholesterol (of those checked)	Coronary heart disease
Hennepin	28.7%	32.4%	5.0%
Ramsey	30.1%	33.3%	5.7%
Dakota	29.7%	34.2%	5.1%
Anoka	31.3%	32.3%	5.7%
Washington	29.4%	34.2%	5.2%
Scott	30.3%	31.9%	4.8%
Wright	30.8%	33.1%	5.2%
Carver	26.8%	30.3%	5.0%
Sherburne	28.7%	31.3%	5.0%
Minneapolis-St Paul	29.5%	32.8%	5.2%
United States	34.4%	36.4%	6.3%

Source: CDC PLACES, 2023 county estimates. Minneapolis-St Paul = Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Washington, Scott, Wright, Carver and Sherburne counties, weighted by adult population.

longevityclinicshub.com

Blood pressure and cholesterol are part of an ordinary checkup, so your regular doctor is the place to start. The tests above add detail once you know those basics.

Showing 1 clinic that publish advanced heart imaging in Minneapolis-St Paul

How we order clinics

HeartScan Minnesota at WestHealth Medical Imaging

Campus Drive, Plymouth

Heart & circulation

HeartScan Minnesota is Allina Health's calcium scoring heart scan, offered at Abbott Northwestern – WestHealth Medical Imaging on Campus Drive in Plymouth. The scan is a CT of the heart that gives an Agatston calcium score, paid for at the appointment, with the report sent to MyChart. Anyone under 35 needs a doctor's order.

Describes its care in general terms rather than a published test menu.

See if it’s a fit

How a heart scan visit usually goes

Your risk first

Blood pressure, cholesterol, family history, and a 10-year risk estimate. This decides whether a scan would change anything.
The scan

Ask whether it uses dye or radiation, how long it takes, and what is included.
Results, explained

A cardiologist or radiologist reads the images. Ask who reads yours.
A plan

What the result changes, like starting a statin, and when to check again.

If you have chest pain, new shortness of breath, or pain that comes on with effort, get checked right away. That's a job for your doctor, not a screening scan.

Go deeper

Common questions

Which clinics in Minneapolis-St Paul publish advanced heart imaging?

1 in our Minneapolis-St Paul guide: HeartScan Minnesota at WestHealth Medical Imaging.

Calcium score or CT angiogram: which one?

A calcium score is quicker, uses less radiation and needs no dye, and it's the usual first step. A CT angiogram shows more, including soft plaque and narrowing. The question your doctor is trying to answer decides which one fits.

What does a calcium score of zero mean?

No hardened plaque was found. That's reassuring, but it isn't a guarantee, because a calcium score can't see soft plaque that hasn't hardened yet.

My cholesterol is normal. Should I get a scan?

Not usually on its own. Scans help most when your overall risk is borderline. Our heart health guide explains which numbers to start with.

How much radiation is involved?

A calcium score uses a low dose. A CT angiogram uses more, plus a dye. Ask the center what dose it uses, especially if you might repeat the scan.

What does it cost, and will insurance cover it?

A calcium score is often self-pay. A CT angiogram is more likely to be covered when a doctor orders it for a medical reason. Our guides on cost and insurance go deeper.

How do you decide which clinics appear on this page?

A clinic appears here when its own published material shows it offers this kind of testing at that location.

Sources (4)

This page is educational information, not medical advice, and it is not a recommendation to have or to skip any scan. What is right for you depends on your age, your history and your personal risk, so discuss it with a clinician who knows them. If you have a symptom that concerns you, seek a medical evaluation.