Cardiac Imaging
At Shire Medical Imaging we offer cardiac imaging including calcium scoring. Our low dose CT scanner provides the cardiac imaging capabilities, also known as CT Coronary Angiogram.
We have a dedicated team of Cardiologists and Cardiac Radiologists who are trained in cardiovascular imaging reporting. All cardiac cases are co-read by our Cardiologists.
CT Coronary Angiogram (CTCA)
CT Coronary Angiography (CTCA) uses CT scanning to take images of the coronary arteries of the beating heart allowing for the diagnosis of diseases within the vessels.
Liquid contrast agents are injected into a vein (usually in the arm) which increase the density of the blood in the vessels, and allow the inside and outside structure of blood vessels to be clearly visible on the CT angiogram images.
Medication to reduce blood flow and slow down the heart rate might also be given to make the images even clearer and easier to interpret. This will either be given in tablet form or into a vein through a cannula.
Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring
The coronary artery calcium score is a measurement of the amount of calcium in the walls of the arteries that supply your heart muscle, using a special computed tomography (CT) scan of your heart. It shows the amount of hardening of the artery wall (a disease called atherosclerosis) that you have. It tells you about your risk of a heart attack or stroke (brain attack) in the next five to ten years.