Patient Information for Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring
Please call
866-UH4-CARE
for any questions you may have about this exciting program.
University Hospitals Heart & Vascular Institute is pleased to offer an x-ray test, called cardiac CT imaging for coronary artery calcium scoring.
This test has been shown by many studies in medical literature to predict future risk of heart attack. This scan, done without an intravenous line or the use of any x-ray contrast material, is a simple x-ray procedure that takes between five and ten minutes to complete.
It measures the amount of calcium that has accumulated in the walls of the coronary arteries and provides your physician with what is termed a “coronary artery calcium score.”
A score of zero means that no calcium is seen, and this finding is associated with a very low risk (<0.4%) of a heart attack over the next five years. As the amount of calcium detected increases, the risk of heart attack increases in the following manner:
Calcium score |
Annual risk for heart attack |
Risk interpretation |
| 1-99 |
0.4% |
Moderately low |
| 100-399 |
1.3% |
Moderate |
| 400 or greater |
2.4% |
High |
When a calcium score is found to be 1-99 or 100-399, this means that some hardening of the arteries is present, and will indicate how intensively prevention strategies should work to control your modifiable heart disease risk factors.
When a calcium score is found to be 400 or greater, this is a warning that extensive hardening of the arteries is present and aggressive prevention strategies should be taken.
We recommend this test for males age 45 or older and women age 55 or older, with no history of coronary artery disease, and with one or more risk factors for heart disease, including:
- high blood cholesterol
- low HDL cholesterol (the “good cholesterol”)
- high blood pressure
- cigarette smoking
- type 2 diabetes
- family history of heart disease at age 55 or younger in men and 65 or younger in women
Testing at a younger age may be indicated in certain situations; please consult your physician for further recommendations.
In the past, despite the availability of this test, very few patients had the test done, as it is generally not covered by insurance and was quite costly. Now, University Hospitals Heart & Vascular Institute is pleased to offer this test to you for only $99. Your doctor simply needs to call 866-UH4-CARE to arrange for the test.
University Hospitals Heart & Vascular Institute, whose reputation in aggressively treating heart attacks is well known, now welcomes the opportunity to work with you and your doctor to prevent a heart attack from happening.
Please call 866-UH4-CARE for any questions you may have about this exciting program.