Heart scans detect problems before symptoms appear

Many times, people with heart disease have few visible symptoms. This is one of the reasons why heart disease is the number one killer for both men and women in America. Saint Louis University and SLUCare offer a non-invasive test that could save your life or the life of someone you love.

"SLUScan for Your Heart" uses an ultra-fast computed tomography (CT) scanner to look inside the heart and its arteries for calcium build-up. It's a way to check for heart disease before there are symptoms. This technology measures and "scores" the amount of blockage in the coronary arteries and helps determine the risk for heart disease. This test is safe, quick and painless. It takes only 30 minutes and uses no needles, dyes or shots. Exercise is not required, and clothing does not have to be removed.

"SLUScan for Your Heart" is available at the Des Peres Medical Arts Pavilion in West St. Louis County or at Saint Louis University Hospital in midtown. The scans are read by SLUCare board-certified radiologists and cardiologists with advanced board certification in body and cardiac CT imaging. Using information gained from these scans, Saint Louis University Hospital heart services professionals can recommend lifestyle changes to help slow, stop or even reverse heart disease.

It is estimated that 500,000 Americans will die this year from a sudden heart attack. For many, the first symptom of heart disease is a sudden, sometimes fatal, heart attack. Prime candidates for a SLUScan For Your Heart are men age 40-plus and women age 50-plus with one or more risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or a history of cardiac disease in the family.