General Cardio test Questions

1. Is that calcium test still omit high radiation, or have they improved upon that yet?..

2. I've had about 6 CRP tests done since about 2003 or so, it always comes back less than 1...I have a physical in 2 weeks, asked the assistant if the MD could order it along w/the other blood work, asst. asked the MD then called back and said don't need to test it again....What is the general consenous today on the value (or not) of the CRP test?...

3 If one has a normal echo, does a cardiac MRI need done, or is MRI done when something is inconclusive?...I've read some other patients echo results here when they post them and it seems like some have alot of detail....The final summary on mine read "normal left ventricular size and function"..though the top part mentioned certain things were normal like aortic root size, wall thickness normal, no pericardial effusion seen, EF est. between 60-65%, etc.....It didn't seem overly detailed...

Thanks again for running such an excellent forum on heart health!...

[CCF HeartMD-2]

Calcium score CT scans still expose you to radiation.  Your CRP level was normal(low risk is less than 1.0 ) in 2003 and in general the CRP level stays quite steady in the abscence of any intercurrent illness.  There was one trial that showed that patients with relatively normal LDL levels who had high CRP levels benefited from taking statins (this is called the Jupiter trial).  In that trial over about a 5 year follow up, people's CRP levels were very steady on average, so I would agree with your doc about not ordering the test again.  Cardiac MRI would not be done in your case in which the echo was normal.   It likely was not detailed because everything was normal, but if you can upload report would be happy to look at it.  Hope this helps!

[Hiker in Hawaii]

Hi CCF Heart MD-2:

While i don't have a disk of the actual echo, report read as follows:

Diastolic diameter - 4.4 cm
Systolic diameter - 3.0 cm
Septal Thickness - 0.8 cm
Posterior Wall Thickness - 0.7 cm
Aortic Root - 2.6 cm
Left Atrium - 2.8 cm

Two Dimensional Echo - "Left ventricular size is normal...Left ventricular wall thickness is normal....Segmental left function is normal...Overall left ventricular function is normal w/an estimated EF of 60-65%...Right ventricular size is normal..Right ventricular wall thickness is normal...Right ventricular function is normal...Left atrial size is normal..Right atrial size is normal..The pulmonary artery size is normal.The aortic root size is normal....The aortic valve is normal...The mitral valve is normal...The tricuspid valve is normal...The pulmonic valve is normal....No pericardial effusion is seen"

Spectral Doppler & Color Flow Doppler  both said "There is trace mitral regurgitation..There is trace tricuspid regurgitation"..

Final Impressions - "Normal left ventricular size and function"...

1. Where do MUGA scans, cardiac MRI's relate to the reliability of echo-cardiograms....Is one test better than other, or are they all valuable in a different way?....

Thanks