A Dramatic Breakthrough in Heart Attack Prevention

Coronary CTA - A dramatic breakthrough in heart attack prevention. You could spend a lifetime worrying about your heart or in a few minutes find out if you really have to worry at all. The most effective treatment for heart disease is prevention. The earlier heart disease can be detected the sooner you can begin modifying your risk factors. For many people there are no warning sign of heart attacks. Half of the people who suffer heart attacks have normal levels of cholesterol and/or normal blood pressure. For over 150,000 Americans per year, the very first sign of coronary artery disease is sudden death. Now, a revolutionary new examination called Coronary CT Angiography (CTA) can provide the earliest possible evidence of coronary artery disease. Coronary CTA is a noninvasive exam requiring no sedation and no hospital stay. It takes a specialized CT scan of the heart and then using highly advanced computer workstations produces 3D, 360-degree images of the coronary arteries, the place where heart attacks originate. Coronary CTA can discover signs of heart disease that would be invisible to EKG?s, stress testing, heart scan (calcium scoring) and even cardiac catheterization.

Unlike the heart scan, Coronary CTA detects calcified and perhaps more importantly non-calcified (soft or vulnerable) plaques. It is these soft plaques, invisible to the heart scan, that are more likely the cause of heart attacks and sudden death. Articles in the cardiology journal, Circulation, indicate that coronary CTA is 95% sensitive for detecting a 50% stenosis (blockage) of the coronary arteries far exceeding the 70% sensitivity typical of stress tests. More importantly, coronary CTA can predict when you are normal with 97% reliability, a number unprecedented in medical imaging. So when coronary CTA says you are normal you can be 97% sure you really are. Atlantic Medical Imaging has the most technologically advanced CT scanners available on the market today. This is backed by the latest in workstation software and one of the world’s largest case experiences with coronary CTA.  

While working closely with General Electric, Atlantic Medical Imaging has become a world leader in coronary CTA. Dr. David Dowe, Medical of AMI’s Galloway facility and Director of the Coronary CTA program, continues to work with GE Healthcare on the technique to acquire the coronary CTA images as well as developing the workstation skills critical to the accurate detection of coronary artery disease. Dr. Dowe has lectured as far away as China and trained university radiology departments on Coronary CT Angiography.  Atlantic Medical Imaging is the International General Electric Training Center for Coronary CTA.

Your doctor now has the necessary tool to diagnose coronary artery disease earlier than any other diagnostic technique in the world today. Heart disease affects both men and women. While men are more susceptible at an earlier age, a woman?s risk of having heart disease rises sharply after menopause.

For more information please call Atlantic Medical Imaging at 677-XRAY (9729).

If you think you need Coronary CTA you should talk with your primary care doctor.