What's the 64 slice Heart Scan?

What's the 64 slice Heart Scan?

I have been waiting since 2002, when I had my first chest pains called "angina" and noticeable heart palpitations and irregular feelings like blood going the opposite way for a couple of seconds just before returning to the constant flow, I have finally waited long enough but will be getting a 64 Slice CT Scanning done on my heart on Thursday at 1:30. The preparation may take up to 2 hours while they use an IV to course my blood with some fluid that will be detectable through the scan and take only approximately 10 minutes. It will be no more painful than a slight prick of the needle to inject that fluid.

If my insurance had been PPO most of this would have been covered. However, I chose HMO from my work's insurance plan and will have to pay $1500. Heart Scan of Chicago had a good budget plan that will allow me to pay $500 upfront and $250 each month following the procedure which is nice. Life is worth it. Anyway below is a summary of this fabulous scanning everyone that has symptoms or may feel they need to get checked. Oprah also had her heart scanned at the same place.

64 Slice CT Heart Scan

The new 64 cardiac imaging procedure has proven to be a breakthrough in technology for the diagnosis of heart disease. The procedure is safe, fast, lasting approximately 10 minutes, and is non-invasive.

This is the procedure offered at Heart Scan of Chicago. Using the Siemens SOMATOM Sensation 64, Heart Scan of Chicago offers the finest technology available. This non-invasive procedure is replacing the older, traditional, invasive procedure - cardiac catheterization or angiography - performed in a hospital and usually requiring anesthesia and a one day hospital stay.

A cardiac CT scan can provide an image of the heart and its arteries so detailed that the presence of plaque, narrowing or stenosis of the arteries, calcium scoring and abnormal heart vessels can be determined with a comparable degree of detail and accuracy previously only available through an invasive procedure such as cardiac catheterization or angiography. The presence of any of these conditions could put an individual, even a strong healthy athlete or someone with no symptoms, at risk for heart disease.

Many people assume that because they have no symptoms, they do not have heart disease. This is not correct. For 150, 000 Americans every year, the first and only symptom of heart disease is a fatal heart attack. Thus diagnosis becomes extremely important for everyone.

What is a Cardiac CT Scan ?

At Heart Scan of Chicago, we perform a full and complete scan of your heart, its coronary arteries, the heart valves and their function, and the pumping action of the heart itself. We consider the size of the heart and the thickness of the wall of the heart chambers. We even review the surrounding area of the heart, including the lungs and the spine. With the 64 slice cardiac CT scan, the doctors at Heart Scan of Chicago determine hard plaque from soft plaque ( a calcium score cannot ). They can visualize if the plaque, if it exists, is inside the artery or if it is outside and where exactly is the build up located.

(Source: Heart Scan of Chicago)

Posted: 10:07 p.m. EST September 25, 2006 by Anne Meesriyong