Advantages of a coronary CT scan

DURING the last decade, three of my uncles who had a higher risk profile for heart disease had their hearts checked. The youngest one, Mr C, was in his late fifties and played badminton weekly. The second, Mr R, in his sixties, led a physically active life and jogged regularly. The third, Mr L, was in his early seventies and had several risk factors including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes mellitus. All three had exertional shortness of breath.

Given that American Heart Association data shows that about half of all men and almost two thirds of all women who die suddenly from a heart attack do not have any symptoms, it was an appropriate decision for these three men with higher risk profile and exertional shortness of breath to undergo a heart artery computed tomography scan (coronary CT angiography or CCTA).

Four-dimensional scan of heart arteries