alternative to cardiac catherization

[chayamalka]

I just heard about the Seimens Sensation 64 slice CT scanner test as an accurate alternative to the angiogram. It is non-invasive and the angiogram is invasive and may have serious side effects. Is this type of scanner really as accurate as an angiogram?  Please let me know.

[Lutheran122]

They now have 128 slice CT's , look for one in your area..the price should be the same. And my insurance paid for mine as well..though after I got the results I wished I hadn't done the test :(

[kenkeith]

My health insurance provider, Humana, paid for a CT scan 64-slice!  

[chayamalka]

Thanks for the wonderful explanation. I don't want an invasive angiogram. I has slight chances of stroke, heart attack, irregular heart beat, etc. I don't even want the slightest chance of getting a stroke again. They are the scariest things I ever went through. Thank God I didn't get any permanent damage. So I will take the 64 slice CT scanner because it has no chances of getting a stroke, etc. No insurance pays for it so my daughter will have to donate the $450 for it and drive me from NYC to Jersey. Now I feel assured that it is a completely accurate test and I will appease my primary dr and cardiologist.

[kenkeith]

Both ct scanner and cath are angiograms. The ct scan 64-slice is almost as accurate as a cath for imaging the lumen (channel) of the vessels.  But a ct scan 64-slice is more inclusive.  It views the respiratory system (lungs), heart vessel anatomy, and aorta (ascending, arch, and descending).  

The total anatomy of the vessel is imaged and able to determine the degree of soft plaque that resides in an area  between lumen and outer lining of the vessel, and the computer compiles the slices giving a 3-D perspective. The edge the scan has to a cath is imaging the soft plaque seen outside the lumen and that is a risk for major heart event.  The soft plaque ruptures the inner lining and forms a clot that can break away and cause a heart attack.  

Cath angiogram views for blockage in the vessel's lumen.  Blockage can cause chest pain, etc. and if untreated can cause heart cell damage that effects the heart muscle and the pumping functionality.