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HEART DISEASE: are you at risk?
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To learn whether you have the risk factors associated with heart disease, answer these few easy questions:
Men: Are you 45 or older?
Women: Are you 55 or older, or have you passed menopause?
Do you have a family history of heart disease?
Do you smoke, or are you exposed to second-hand smoke?
Have you ever been diagnosed with high cholesterol?
Have you ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure or hypertension?
Do you have an inactive lifestyle?
Do you consider yourself overweight?
If you answered YES to three or more questions, please read about our new Calcium Scoring exam, and how it may be beneficial to you.
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Know the symptoms of heart attack?
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Regardless of your test results, everyone should know the warning signals of a heart attack. If you feel any of these symptoms, see your doctor or visit the emergency room immediately:
• Uncomfortable chest pain, fullness, pressure or squeezing
• Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms
• Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath
• Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side
• Sudden confusion, or trouble with speaking, understanding, walking, balance or sight
• Sudden severe, unexplained headaches
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How do I find out more?
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Ask your physician for more information about cardiac health and tests like the Calcium Scoring exam, or to schedule an appointment.
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HEART DISEASE: It’s extremely common — and usually preventable
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Are you — or someone you love — at risk of heart disease? Think about this:
1 out of 4 Americans has some form of heart disease.
More than 500,000 Americans will die of heart attacks this year.
Over half of those who die will have had no previous symptoms.
Now, here’s the good news: 85% of heart disease can be halted or prevented, if the conditions that lead to heart attacks are diagnosed early enough.
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Preventing coronary artery disease starts with awareness
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Calcified plaque in the arteries is a risk factor that may lead to coronary artery disease (CAD). Many people call this “hardening of the arteries.” As more plaque builds up, arteries get narrower — and the risk of a sudden heart attack can increase.
Now there’s a new breakthrough, the Calcium Scoring exam, that allows us to visualize and quantify the amount of calcium plaque, if any, in the coronary arteries. It’s performed with a CT scanner, so it’s completely non-invasive and painless.
The calcium scoring exam typically takes less than 15 minutes. And in approximately 80% of all cases, if referred by a physician, the procedure is covered by health insurance.
We’re proud to be one of the first medical institutions in our area to offer this exam as part of our dedicated health care services to the community.
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What you can expect during your calcium scoring exam
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You won’t have to do anything special to prepare for your Calcium Scoring exam. When you come for your exam, our technologist will ask you to lie on a comfortable table.
The technologist will then attach electrocardiogram (EKG) leads to your chest. The table will then be moved into the proper scanning position. Next, the technologist will initiate the scan. You’ll be in constant visual and voice contact with the technologist throughout the procedure. As your CT scan proceeds, you may hear a quiet, fan-like sound and a beep each time a picture is taken.
You won’t feel the scan at all: just relax and try to lie as still as possible. Our technologist will ask you to hold your breath to obtain the best images. Once you’re finished, the technologist will help you get off the table. That’s all there is to it.
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What if the physician finds calcified plaque?
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Visualization of calcified plaque may indicate a risk for coronary disease. But remember, 85% of all coronary artery disease can be halted or prevented if the conditions that lead to heart attacks are diagnosed and treated early enough. Your doctor will be able to recommend the right treatment plan for you. |
What if the physician does not find calcified plaque?
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You are probably at a lower risk for coronary artery disease. Early prevention is better than a cure. In consultation with your physician, you should be able to work to reduce your risk factors even further. |
CORONARY ARTERY CT ANGIOGRAPHY
MNAP Diagnostic Center is proud to offer an important addition to its comprehensive list of cardiac diagnostic imaging services. With the recent addition of a state of the art Siemens Somatom Sensation 16-slice Multi-Detector CT helical scanner, we are now able to offer the innovative Coronary Artery CT Angiography to patients in our community.
CT-based coronary angiography is a new, non-invasive alternative to cardiac catheterization for some patients. This new technology has consistently shown the ability to rule out significant narrowing of the major coronary arteries and can non-invasively detect "soft plaque," or fatty matter, in their walls that has not yet hardened but that may lead to future problems without lifestyle changes or medical treatment.
*Clinical studies have shown that coronary CTA is reliable for the non-invasive assessment of stenoses in the proximal and mid regions of the coronary arteries, where the majority of stenoses are found. Both the sensitivity and specificity for the detection of clinically significant stenoses are about 90%.
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Benefits of Coronary CTA
- Non-invasive diagnosis
- Can rule out coronary stenoses with high accuracy
- Can establish patency of by-pass grafts and stented arteries
- Can visualize cardiac and coronary venous anatomy
- Can assess calcified and non-calcified plaque burden
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Who should consider coronary CTA?
Coronary CTA examinations can determine if there is significant narrowing in the coronary arteries, as well as a presence of fatty deposits. This has been found to be particularly valuable in asymptomatic patients with higher risk for coronary disease, in patients with atypical symptoms but lower risk of coronary disease, or in patients with unclear stress-test results. As a result, many physicians advocate the careful use of coronary CTA for patients who have:
- Intermediate to high-risk profiles for coronary artery disease, but who do not have typical symptoms (especially chest pain, shortness of breath, or fatigue during heavy physical activity.)
- Unusual symptoms for coronary artery disease (such as chest pain unrelated to physical exertion), but low to intermediate risk profiles for coronary artery disease.
- Unclear or inconclusive stress-test (treadmill test) results.
For these types of patients, coronary CTA can provide important insights to their primary physician into the extent and nature of plaque formation with or without any narrowing of the coronary arteries. Coronary CTA also can non-invasively exclude narrowing of the arteries as the cause of chest discomfort and detect other possible causes of symptoms.
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MNAP Cardiac Imaging Services include:
- Nuclear Cardiology including Exercise, Perfusion and Persantine Stress Test
- Echo and Stress Echo Cardiography
- Coronary CTA and calcium scoring
- Board Certified Cardiologist on site
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To schedule an appointment or to consult with a Cardiologist, please call 215-464-3300
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