This screening exam assesses the location and extent of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries. The findings are expressed as a calcium score that is an early-stage indicator of potential coronary artery disease and allows for interventional treatment and life-style modification.

Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring Exam Guidelines

Preparation

• Prior to your scheduled appointment, Washington Imaging Services (WIS) will call you to discuss specific instructions, review your health and insurance information and answer any questions.
• For your convenience, print out and complete the appropriate Patient Forms, including Patient Registration, Patient History and the CACS Patient History Form. Bring them with you to your appointment.
• Continue to take your routine medications.
• Take nothing by mouth 3 hours prior to your exam.
• Avoid caffeine and other stimulants for 12 hours prior to the scan.
• Leave your valuables at home. All jewelry and any metal objects must be removed prior to the exam.
• Wear comfortable clothing without zippers, snaps or metal buttons. Or, you may change into a hospital gown or scrubs after arriving.
• Please notify the technologist if you are pregnant or could be pregnant.
• Please bring all relevant prior examination films or studies (CT, MRI, ultrasound, x-rays, etc.) with you on the day of your exam.
• Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your exam.  

What to Expect During the Exam

• The technologist will help position you comfortably on a cushioned table. The table top will move through a gantry (shaped like a big donut) that has an x-ray tube on one side and an arc-shaped detector mounted on the opposite side.
• During each full rotation, a fan-shaped x-ray beam is passed through your body and an image of a thin section is acquired. The detector records about 1,000 images or slices of the expanded x-ray beam per rotation.
• A computer reconstructs the slices into two-dimensional (cross-sectional) and/or three-dimensional images of your internal anatomy. Normally an entire scan can be done with a single breath hold.
• Allow 15 minutes for your exam.

What to Expect After the Exam

• You may leave as soon as the exam is completed and resume normal activities.
• Your normal diet may be resumed.
• Your imaging study will be interpreted by an OIA board certified radiologist who specializes in the area of the body being scanned.
• Your referring physician will receive a report and pictures detailing the findings of your exam within 24 hours. You should contact your doctor to discuss the results.

Learn more about the Multi-Detector CT (MDCT) imaging equipment that will be used to conduct your exam.