What Is a Coronary Artery Calcium Scan?

A coronary artery calcium scan measures the amount of calcium buildup in the coronary arteries. In this video, Merle Myerson, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention with Bassett Medical Center explains why you should know these numbers.

Transcript

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The Coronary Artery Calcium Scan measures the calcium that's in your coronary arteries. So remember that the coronary arteries

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are the blood vessels that bring blood to your heart muscle. As you get older, you tend to get calcium.

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But we also know from much research that the amount of calcium in your coronary arteries is highly associated with atherosclerotic plaque,

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meaning the build-up from years of cholesterol in your coronary arteries that can cause a blockage that ultimately could cause a heart attack.

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So we measure the coronary calcium with the scanner. And you get a score. The higher the score, it's related to the likelihood

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that you might have obstructive coronary artery disease, meaning a blockage there that could really impede the flow of blood