CT Cardiac Calcium Scoring

Vascular disease is among the leading causes of death in the United States, yet is generally asymptomatic until a catastrophic event occurs, such as a heart attack, stroke or aneurysm rupture. Pueblo Radiology offers preventive vascular screening ultrasound to bring legitimacy and medical integrity to the “parking lot” screening exams commonly seen in many communities.

Pueblo Radiology’s vascular screening covers three important areas:

1. Carotid arteries (neck) – to access stroke risk
2. Aorta (abdomen) – to detect the presence of aortic aneurysm
3. Blood pressure assessment of the lower extremities to identify PAD (1) and risk of heart disease

Together, this three-part assessment can be an important element in determining risk of vascular disease in general — implying relative risk in areas that are more difficult to “see”, such as the heart (coronary arteries).

Individuals 55 years of age or older with any of the following cardiovascular risk factors may benefit from preventative screening for vascular disease:

• Diabetes mellitus
• History of hypertension
• Hypercholesterolemia
• Known cardiovascular disease
• Smoking

Noninvasive screening examinations have proven to be accurate in detecting vascular disease prior to active warning signs and before a major medical incident such as stroke or sudden death from aneurysm rupture. With the baby boomer population aging and Americans 60 years old expected to reach nearly 76 million by 2020, raising public awareness about vascular disease and screening becomes critical.