Anyone had one? Is it worth paying for a CT Scan to check the hearts arteries? How good is a CT at detecting partially blocked arteries?
Serious-CT Scans for Heart Arteries
- Thread starter AllanH
- Start date
I don't know.
But changing your diet and keeping fit costs next to nothing and will reduce the problems.
If you pay and find that you have the problems you will still need to do something about it.
But changing your diet and keeping fit costs next to nothing and will reduce the problems.
If you pay and find that you have the problems you will still need to do something about it.
Parksy
Moderator
I've had a CT scan but this was to detect a blood clot on the brain which had caused a stroke.
My understanding is that the procedure for detecting partially blocked areteries around the heart is an angiogram.
I've also had one of these and it involves injecting some sort of dye and then inserting a probe which is attatched to a thin wire into an entry point normally in the groin.
The probe is then moved along the arteries by the consultant and the atreries, probe etc can be seen on a large screen.
The procedure takes a couple of hours from start to finish and you are normally treated as an outpatient. It's not particularlly painful and is a good diagnostic tool to detect arterial blockage.
Coupled with this procedure is angioplasty which is as I've described and the consultant then deploys a stent to open up the artery. The stent is a miniature circular balloon.
This wasn't an option for me and I had a triple cardiac bypass which has (touch wood!) prevented further heart attacks or problems.
Why do you ask? If you have any symptoms i.e. chest pains, aches in the arm or jaw it's imperative that you consult a doctor immediately.
My understanding is that the procedure for detecting partially blocked areteries around the heart is an angiogram.
I've also had one of these and it involves injecting some sort of dye and then inserting a probe which is attatched to a thin wire into an entry point normally in the groin.
The probe is then moved along the arteries by the consultant and the atreries, probe etc can be seen on a large screen.
The procedure takes a couple of hours from start to finish and you are normally treated as an outpatient. It's not particularlly painful and is a good diagnostic tool to detect arterial blockage.
Coupled with this procedure is angioplasty which is as I've described and the consultant then deploys a stent to open up the artery. The stent is a miniature circular balloon.
This wasn't an option for me and I had a triple cardiac bypass which has (touch wood!) prevented further heart attacks or problems.
Why do you ask? If you have any symptoms i.e. chest pains, aches in the arm or jaw it's imperative that you consult a doctor immediately.
Parksy, Thank you for your response. It is my wife who has the symptoms. She is under the doctor, but is still worried by the slight, but continually recurring symptoms and we wandered if paying for a CT scan would help.
Thank you again for your concern.
The quick answer to your question is probably No unless the scanner is very modern. Angiogran is the Gold Standard. A much simplier way is to have an Exercise Test coupled up to an ECG machine.
Angiograms are not without risk albeit not to common. Risk being a possibility of a Stroke, an Infection or Very Rare Serious Bleeding from the entry site ( I signed a consent form 3 months ago ). I believe I am correct in saying an angiogram would not be carried out without first completing an exercise test. Angiograms are painless just a slight discomfort when the dye is injected, so it can be traced on the radiography machine. I have had at least 9 over the past 4 years ( Checking an AVM ) after it bled. I would suggest you talk to your GP or Practice Nurse and ask about the options. Medicine changes by the Day with regards to diagnostic procedures and they are getting better and a lot less invasive all the time. You can check a lot of things on line but please if you worry about things DON'T follow that route, it's easy to start imagining the worst. The other thing is we can only relate on a forum to what has happened to us, and every case will be different.
best regards
Angiograms are not without risk albeit not to common. Risk being a possibility of a Stroke, an Infection or Very Rare Serious Bleeding from the entry site ( I signed a consent form 3 months ago ). I believe I am correct in saying an angiogram would not be carried out without first completing an exercise test. Angiograms are painless just a slight discomfort when the dye is injected, so it can be traced on the radiography machine. I have had at least 9 over the past 4 years ( Checking an AVM ) after it bled. I would suggest you talk to your GP or Practice Nurse and ask about the options. Medicine changes by the Day with regards to diagnostic procedures and they are getting better and a lot less invasive all the time. You can check a lot of things on line but please if you worry about things DON'T follow that route, it's easy to start imagining the worst. The other thing is we can only relate on a forum to what has happened to us, and every case will be different.
best regards
Parksy
Moderator
Ooops yes, I'd forgotten all about the excersise test!
Allan, if your wife has symptoms of angina has the doctor prescribed GTN spray or any medication?
The cold can exacerbate the symptoms associated with angina and it's not a bad idea for your wife to cover her mouth with a scarf or similar if she's outside for any length of time. This is so that she doesn't continually breathe cold air.
I still say that if the symptoms persist either go to your local hospital accident and emergency department where she will be seen immediately or at the very least speak to a doctor.
Better to be safe than sorry.
Allan, if your wife has symptoms of angina has the doctor prescribed GTN spray or any medication?
The cold can exacerbate the symptoms associated with angina and it's not a bad idea for your wife to cover her mouth with a scarf or similar if she's outside for any length of time. This is so that she doesn't continually breathe cold air.
I still say that if the symptoms persist either go to your local hospital accident and emergency department where she will be seen immediately or at the very least speak to a doctor.
Better to be safe than sorry.
An ECG does not check the arteries, it only monitors the hearts electrical responses, which can be quite informative, especially if you have suffered a heart attack, but it definitely does not show the extent of any arterial blockage. Or the onset of irregular heart rhythms
An more detailed examination of the speed of the blood flow which might be indicative of arterial restriction can be assessed by the echocardiogram, which is a hyper sensitive ultrasound system. Non invasive, but the image quality is not good enough to accurately guide the surgeon.
Exercise tolerance testing (treadmill) indicates the the extent of the blood flow restriction, but it does not tell you where the flow is restricted,
After these three investigations the doctors will have a fair idea of what is going on, but they will still lack the detail of the extent and specific location of any blockages, and currently the only way to do this is to make then show up on a xray or the angiogram, where the radio opaque dye injected into the arteries around the heart cast accurate shadows on the imaging screen.
In my case after walking into the RAAC, and having the ECG and Echo I was wheeled as they dared not put me on the treadmill. In my case it was not blocked arteries but a failing aortic valve, which the surgeon told me was only good for about 6 month or less.
I now have a shiny new titanium one, though the design is called the St Jude MAV- patron saint of hopeless cases!!!
An more detailed examination of the speed of the blood flow which might be indicative of arterial restriction can be assessed by the echocardiogram, which is a hyper sensitive ultrasound system. Non invasive, but the image quality is not good enough to accurately guide the surgeon.
Exercise tolerance testing (treadmill) indicates the the extent of the blood flow restriction, but it does not tell you where the flow is restricted,
After these three investigations the doctors will have a fair idea of what is going on, but they will still lack the detail of the extent and specific location of any blockages, and currently the only way to do this is to make then show up on a xray or the angiogram, where the radio opaque dye injected into the arteries around the heart cast accurate shadows on the imaging screen.
In my case after walking into the RAAC, and having the ECG and Echo I was wheeled as they dared not put me on the treadmill. In my case it was not blocked arteries but a failing aortic valve, which the surgeon told me was only good for about 6 month or less.
I now have a shiny new titanium one, though the design is called the St Jude MAV- patron saint of hopeless cases!!!
Having had an angio and found a blockage at 50% and told get on with your life. Now i also have had spine surgury with spacers inserted within the joints. Each year i have to go back to the surgeon and have xray to see how it is behaving and this is the point i am on this thread as i also have to fill in a long form asking just about everything concerning a persons health and wellbeing. One question always has me wondering and that is do i think my health is worse/better/or do not know, i usually put latter. So having seen this and other threads on health i now know i am normal and will carry on taking my 8 pills for differant problems.Thanks guy's.
My understanding is that the CT scan gives a three dimensional view - seen CT scans of brains at work and they are amazingly detailed. My 15 yr old son had an echocardiagram at a London Hospital in the Summer, quite frankly it blew me away, unbelievably clear, technology has moved on so much. My experience was that I went to the GP re my son, he put me on the list for a paediatrician at a local hospital and said I should sit back and wait. I went home, did my homework on the net, wrote to the GP requesting a referral to the specialist at a London Hospital, then rang the specialist's secretary saying a referral was on the way. I then visited the GP got a copy of the referral letter, faxed it to the consultant's secretary and then rang her to put pressure on for an appointment which we received shortly after. I had attended the appointment, got the specialist result before the appointment date for the local paediatrician even came through!
Anonymously I can tell you I work for the NHS, those who show tenacity and a "not gonna be messed with" attitude are listened to - mainly to shut you up and get you off people's backs LOL!!
Its all there for the taking, just the usual communication breakdowns that take the time.
Anonymously I can tell you I work for the NHS, those who show tenacity and a "not gonna be messed with" attitude are listened to - mainly to shut you up and get you off people's backs LOL!!
Its all there for the taking, just the usual communication breakdowns that take the time.
John L, just read your post again and to clarify, the echocardiogram my son had was like a hand held scanner run across the chest attached to a screen. Quite honestly you could see absolutely every nook and cranny, see the oxygenated and not so oxygenated blood (or whatever it is) quite clearly, see the heart valves opening and closing - looked rather like a sea annemone feeding, it was absolutely amazing. My son had his heart valves measured by means of this investigation and I can't tell you how fascinating it was.
There are two 'ECG's' - the old type of electrocardiogram, where various pads are attached to the chest and the results come out as spikes on paper tracers, and the echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart chambers and vessels - and much more informative.
A CT scan is 'computerised tomography' which involves an x-ray machine circling your body, taking pictures are regular intervals which then show the 'slices' through your body. In heart screening using a CT scanner this is combined with calcium screening to ascertain the amount of calcium in any arterial deposits, and the consquent risks. However, some arterial deposits are formed from softer materials and cannot easily be detected or measured with a CT scan.
If you think you are at serious risk then you need to see your GP urgently - and despite all the negativity sometimes about the NHS you will probably be referred for any tests or treatments which are required. GPs pay now depends on lowering the risks of, or preventing, certain conditions, and heart disease is one of them.
A CT scan is 'computerised tomography' which involves an x-ray machine circling your body, taking pictures are regular intervals which then show the 'slices' through your body. In heart screening using a CT scanner this is combined with calcium screening to ascertain the amount of calcium in any arterial deposits, and the consquent risks. However, some arterial deposits are formed from softer materials and cannot easily be detected or measured with a CT scan.
If you think you are at serious risk then you need to see your GP urgently - and despite all the negativity sometimes about the NHS you will probably be referred for any tests or treatments which are required. GPs pay now depends on lowering the risks of, or preventing, certain conditions, and heart disease is one of them.
If you think you are at serious risk then you need to see your GP urgently - and despite all the negativity sometimes about the NHS you will probably be referred for any tests or treatments which are required.
One thing about the NHS is the Acute Service is Second to None in the Whole World
One thing about the NHS is the Acute Service is Second to None in the Whole World
Thank you, everyone who replied. We have decided not to have a CT Scan. My wife's condition is being monitored by our GP.
Happy Christmas to everybody!
AllanH
Happy Christmas to everybody!
AllanH
Hope it all works out well Allan, no reason why it shouldn't with the monitoring on going
Best wishes for the Season
Best wishes for the Season
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