A number of advanced imaging services at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital are used to learn more about a patient’s underlying heart condition.
A cardiac CT scan for coronary calcium is a non-invasive way of obtaining information about the presence, location and extent of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries—the vessels that supply oxygen-containing blood to the heart muscle. Calcified plaque results when there is a build-up of fat and other substances under the inner layer of the artery. This material can calcify which signals the presence of atherosclerosis, a disease of the vessel wall, also called coronary artery disease (CAD). People with this disease have an increased risk for heart attacks. Because calcium is a marker of CAD, the amount of calcium detected on a cardiac CT scan is a helpful prognostic tool.
Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is a heart imaging test that helps determine if deposits of fat or calcium (plaque) have narrowed a patient's coronary arteries. Patients undergoing a coronary CTA scan receive an iodine-containing contrast material as an intravenous injection to ensure the best possible images.
Cardiac MRI imaging is another way to evaluate the anatomy and function of the heart, valves, major vessels and surrounding structures.
Additional Imaging Information
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For more information or to schedule an appointment with a radiologist, call Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital at 314.996.8080.
We are conveniently located just one mile west of I-270 on Olive Blvd., at Olive and Mason in Creve Coeur, Missouri - a west county suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Get directions to our Imaging Locations.