Latest / Heart Health, Reimagined with Dr. Mona Shah, MD
Coronary Calcium, CIMT, or CTA - Which Test Actually Answers Your Question?
"Should I get a calcium score?" "Should I get a CIMT or carotid ultrasound?" "Or a coronary CT angiogram?" I get this question constantly - and these tests are not interchangeable.
In this video, I break down what each one actually measures and what it can miss. CIMT measures carotid wall thickness, not actual plaque, and it hasn't held up well against calcium scoring for predicting coronary events. A coronary calcium score directly looks at the heart, but only catches calcified plaque - and up to about 1 in 6 people with no symptoms and a calcium score of zero still have noncalcified plaque…
The skinny
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