HEALTH SCAN:
1.5 million Americans died from
Cardiovascular diseases and Cancer last year —
Some of these deaths could have been prevented!
The HealthScan is a non-invasive CT scan of the body performed on our "64 slice" CT. A specially trained radiologist examines your cardiovascular system, lungs, and major organs of the abdomen and pelvis to detect the earliest stages of disease when treatment has the best chance to succeed. Results from this rapid, painless scan indicate if “silent” disease exists and enables the radiologist and your physician to guide you to the most efficacious treatment.
What are the scan's unique capabilities?
In a single short visit multiple cross sectional images are volumetrically acquired from the top of the chest to the bottom of the pelvis. The exam includes a consultation with the radiologist to review your images. The exam is complete in less than one hour. The primary disease which are evaluated include lung and colon cancer, tumors of the solid organs of the abdomen and pelvis, cardiovascular disease including coronary artery disease and aortic aneurysms, osteoporosis and gallstones.
CHEST:
1mm “slices” are volumetrically acquired through the lungs in a single breath-hold. The main focus is the early detection of lung cancer. This is the only means of detecting small (less than 1.0 cm) cancers which is crucial to improve survival rates of this deadly disease.
CARDIAC: CT angiography coronary arteries.
This is a new procedure made possible by our advanced “64 slice” helical CT. It requires the IV injection of contrast. The data acquisition is ECG-gated. Fast volume coverage of the entire heart is achieved in a single breath-hold of approximately 10 seconds. Sixty Four 0.5 mm “slices” are acquired with each 0.4 second rotation of the x-ray tube. The scans are ECG-gated to the cardiac cycle to prevent motion distortion. A powerful workstation computer projects “angiographic” images of the coronary arteries within seconds of the scan. This technology never before available enables the radiologist to evaluate the coronary arteries with submillimeter resolution. It is now possible to visualize not only calcified “hard plaque, but narrowing of the artery secondary to either hard or soft plaque. This type of information has traditionally been obtained only by catheterization of the coronary arteries-an invasive procedure requiring insertion of a catheter through the femoral (groin) artery.
The volumetrically acquired data with 3-D volume rendering has the potential to categorize atherosclerotic plaque;calcified, fibrous and lipid-rich. The first two are stable and produce stenosis (narrowing). Lipid rich plaque is unstable, prone to rupture and is frequently the cause of myocardial infarct (heart attack). Caracterizing plaque is achievable by density measurement;
| Calcific plaque | Greater than 120 HU |
| Fibrous plaque | 50-120 HU |
| Lipid-rich plaque | Less than 50 HU |
Results of CT coronary angiography will be reported utilizing the coronary segment model of the American Heart Association.
| Artery | Segments |
| Right Coronary | 1 - 4 |
| Left Main Coronary | 5 |
| Left Anterior Descending | 6 - 9 |
| Circumflex | 11 - 12 |
Because intravenous contrast injection is necessary, we are currently requesting you have a physician’s order (prescription) to have this exam.
