hi i am a 35 yr old male. i've been having atypical chest symptoms in that my heavy chest and squeezing isn't worse with exercise, but i've had lightheadedness, some breathless feelings, and attacks of nausea, and reduced exercise tolerance.
my doctor got me a regular stress test (no nuclear)
a resting echo
and cholesterol
all tests normal
I was reading some things, and thought that maybe I can get a cardiac CTA to "settle the score" once and for all just to make darn sure it's not my heart...for my peace of mind and so on.
i find it would be much easier and cheaper to get just the calcium scoring than a full CTA
but i am concerned that if i am going to go through the dance, why not take the contrast too
and a little extra radiation, to be very sure...
So, lets say I go pay $100 bucks to get a calcium score, and the score is low, what then? I could have soft plaque to worry about?
I guess what I'm asking is, is the calcium score a suffient test if i want to put my mind at rest from most cardiac anomolies? Or should I petition for a CTA?