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Calcium Score

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Mark 11 May 21, 20:24Post
I'm going to the Nasseff Heart Center at United Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, for a cool test tomorrow. It's called a coronary calcium scan. It's a CT scan of all five of the coronary arteries. It can tell how much fat and calcium is built up in the arteries of the heart.

It sort-of takes the place of a coronary angiogram.

With this coronary calcium scan, people can find how sludged up their coronary arteries are and take action, if needed, before they have a heart attack. Many people find that they have no fatty or calcified buildup in their coronary arteries.

The test costs $100 and includes analysis by a cardiologist/radiologist team. They send the results to your regular doctor for placement in your chart and action, if needed.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-proced ... c-20384686
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Mark 12 May 21, 18:19Post
Well. That was easy. Got to the heart center and realized I just may have been the healthiest person there other than the employees. All of the other patients were in electric scooters, had rollie walkers, or breathed so hard I was afraid one or more of them would code on the spot.

I changed into a gown, locked up my valuables, and took a seat next to an old guy who sounded like a pug dog with asthma. The CT tech called me in and had me lay on the CT scanner bed. What took the longest was waiting for the scanner to get up to operating speed and wind down... about 30 seconds each. The actual test itself lasted all of 15 seconds.

Now, just to wait for the test results. They'll be emailed to my My Chart account, just as all of my other lab and x-ray results have been for the past several years. We'll see if I have a Widow Maker heart attack in my future or not.
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Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 12 May 21, 18:26Post
That is a dang good deal. A simple UA for me at the government-paid rate was $853.
ShanwickOceanic (netAirspace FAA) 12 May 21, 18:30Post
Lucas wrote:That is a dang good deal. A simple UA for me at the government-paid rate was $853.

That's taking the piss!
My friend and I applied for airline jobs in Australia, but they didn't Qantas.
Mark 12 May 21, 18:59Post
Lucas wrote:That is a dang good deal. A simple UA for me at the government-paid rate was $853.


<Scratch head> A dip stick UA test costs a hospital about $1.
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Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 12 May 21, 19:11Post
I went and looked it up, and I was wrong. It was $834.12.

That said, I hope you are healthy and that the results are good.

I do appreciate MyChart!
Mark 12 May 21, 20:28Post
Even when I was paying for my own drug tests when I was in nursing board Purgatory, they never cost more than $100. A medical urinalysis should not ever cost more than $80, even on a bad day.
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Mark 15 May 21, 22:39Post
Well. I got my results. Here they are, copy and pasted right from the cardiologist's report.

"The total Agatston calcium score is 3, 33rd percentile. Left main: 0, left anterior descending: 3, left circumflex: 0, right coronary artery: 0."

So, I scored a 3 in my left anterior descending artery. That means on the 0 to 500 scale, I scored a 3 for calcium and fat buildup in that artery. Minuscule. My other coronary arteries scored zeroes... no build-up. Clean as a whistle.

I obviously don't have genetically-influenced coronary artery disease. I knew it didn't run in either of my parents' families. But, I wanted to know. For a hundred bucks, it was cheap piece of mind that the "Big One" isn't going to strike me dead while eating like a pig at some barbecue place in Austin, Texas.
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Lucas (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 15 May 21, 23:51Post
Mark wrote:Well. I got my results. Here they are, copy and pasted right from the cardiologist's report.

"The total Agatston calcium score is 3, 33rd percentile. Left main: 0, left anterior descending: 3, left circumflex: 0, right coronary artery: 0."

So, I scored a 3 in my left anterior descending artery. That means on the 0 to 500 scale, I scored a 3 for calcium and fat buildup in that artery. Minuscule. My other coronary arteries scored zeroes... no build-up. Clean as a whistle.

I obviously don't have genetically-influenced coronary artery disease. I knew it didn't run in either of my parents' families. But, I wanted to know. For a hundred bucks, it was cheap piece of mind that the "Big One" isn't going to strike me dead while eating like a pig at some barbecue place in Austin, Texas.


That's a fantastic deal. Glad your results came back as mostly A+s with one very high A!
Mark 16 May 21, 12:37Post
Lucas wrote:
Mark wrote:Well. I got my results. Here they are, copy and pasted right from the cardiologist's report.

"The total Agatston calcium score is 3, 33rd percentile. Left main: 0, left anterior descending: 3, left circumflex: 0, right coronary artery: 0."

So, I scored a 3 in my left anterior descending artery. That means on the 0 to 500 scale, I scored a 3 for calcium and fat buildup in that artery. Minuscule. My other coronary arteries scored zeroes... no build-up. Clean as a whistle.

I obviously don't have genetically-influenced coronary artery disease. I knew it didn't run in either of my parents' families. But, I wanted to know. For a hundred bucks, it was cheap piece of mind that the "Big One" isn't going to strike me dead while eating like a pig at some barbecue place in Austin, Texas.


That's a fantastic deal. Glad your results came back as mostly A+s with one very high A!


Ummmmm.... Yeah.
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Mark 17 May 21, 14:30Post
And, just to make it official, the cardiologist sent me a copy of his interpretation:

Dear Mr. Kxxxxxxxxx,

Hope you are doing well.

I received the results of your coronary calcium score today. You have a very minimal amount of coronary calcium which is good news. You have less than average coronary calcium which is very good. I do not see any cause for alarm at this time.

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Sincerely,

Ambar Bajpai, MD
United Heart and Vascular Clinic
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Mark 01 Jun 21, 19:52Post
My nurse practitioner wanted me to get a follow-up CT scan on my aorta because an earlier CT scan showed a slight aortic aneurysm. Well, here are the results... copied right from the radiologist's analysis:

FINDINGS:
LUNGS AND PLEURA: Lungs are clear. No pleural effusion.

MEDIASTINUM/AXILLAE: Stable ascending aortic aneurysmal dilatation measuring 4.2 x 4.0 cm (AP x TR dimensions) compared to 4.2 x 4.0 cm measuring in a similar imaging plane on the previous imaging. Pulmonary arteries are stable. No lymphadenopathy. Normal heart size. Axilla are normal.

CORONARY ARTERY CALCIFICATION: Mild.

UPPER ABDOMEN: Cholecystectomy.

MUSCULOSKELETAL: Unremarkable.

IMPRESSION:
1. Stable aneurysmal dilatation of the ascending thoracic aorta
measuring 4.2 x 4.0 cm compared to 11/27/2020.
2. Complete resolution of the right middle lobe nodule described
previously.
3. Lungs are clear.

Bottom line: Pretty damned good for a 60 year old guy who abused his body up until about... ten months ago.
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DXing 01 Jun 21, 22:25Post
Good for you, reminds of my last visit to a coronary specialist. After the stress test and ultrasound of my heart he jovially berated me for wasting his time and causing him to have to cancel a scheduled golf outing.......
What's the point of an open door policy if inside the open door sits a closed mind?
Mark 02 Jun 21, 14:33Post
DXing wrote:After the stress test and ultrasound of my heart


That's the next thing I need, but I think I'll refuse it.
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