CTCA: Coffs Cardiology is now offering CT Coronary Angiograms (CTCA). This cutting edge technology has the potential to save many lives.
CTCA is a non-invasive procedure for imaging the coronary arteries and visualising atherosclerotic plaque, which is a deposit of fat calcium, cholesterol and other substances that hardens and narrows your arteries. CTCA also provides patients with coronary calcium scoring, which was the precursor to CT coronary angiography and has been shown to provide predictive data in selected patients over and above that provided by traditional risk factors. CTCA is a more sophisticated technique and provides detailed information about coronary plaque and its composition.
This procedure is used in selected patients with risk factors for coronary artery disease, such as hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes, smoking or a family history of heart disease.
Dr Jon Waites reports on the CTCA, which are performed at Coffs Harbour Radiology.
This test provides the Cardiologist with a large amount of information including proving or excluding significant blockages within the coronary arteries. In addition, the scan is able to detect the earliest stages of cholesterol deposition within the walls of the coronary arteries and this assists greatly in determining a patient’s current and future risk of cardiovascular disease.