Are You a Ticking Time Bomb? (page 3 of 3)

3 Tests to Stop Your Heart Attack Before It Starts

• CT scans
  What's your calcium score? Coronary CT scanning has become a widely recognized, noninvasive tool to identify plaque buildup. The newest and most highly detailed types, electron beam (EBCT) and multidetector CT, cost around $500 to $700, compared to as much as $4,000 for an angiogram. A patient can be scanned in ten minutes and have a good idea of the state of his arteries. While choles-terol can't be visualized on a CT, the inflammation in the plaque draws in calcium, which shows clearly on the scan. The amount of calcium correlates fairly well with the amount of plaque. But there are drawbacks. CT scans can't detect fatty plaque, they require radiation and, until recently, the results were too unreliable for the screening to be used routinely. For many doctors, the percentage of "false negatives" is still too high: 5 to 10 percent of people with clean scans will actually have heart disease.
  
  
• Ultrasound
  Six arteries tell the story. High-resolution ultrasound has a number of advantages over other imaging techniques. It involves no radiation, is noninvasive, fast (about 12 minutes), costs much less than a CT or MRI using portable, relatively inexpensive units, and physicians can be trained to do screenings in a short time (as opposed to diagnostic ultrasound, which requires years of specialty training).
  
  Postley has been using external vascular ultrasound as part of the routine annual checkup in his office for two years, tracking plaque in the six major arteries in the body. A high-frequency probe is placed on the neck and groin to view the arteries from the outside in, as opposed to the tunnel-like view achieved from angiograms. Ultrasound allows doctors to see the thickening of the arterial walls as plaque accumulates within. Because the procedure is simple, noninvasive and safe, it can be repeated frequently to monitor plaque buildup.
  
  Since a number of studies have shown that ultrasound can gauge arterial plaque from moderate to severe, patients can be treated over time: The patient with lowest risk could be treated with lifestyle changes alone. If ongoing ultrasound screening revealed moderate plaque formation, cholesterol-lowering or other drugs would be added to the regimen. If severe plaque developed, more aggressive therapy, such as angioplasty or bypass surgery, would be called for. All this would happen years before the fatal heart attack, often the first and only sign of trouble.
  
  Postley cautions that high-resolution ultrasound still needs more definitive studies to prove its efficacy as a predictor. And while it gives exceptionally accurate readings of more superficial arteries, it cannot look at the actual heart (as CT and MRI can). Moreover, while ultrasound can identify fatty plaque, it can't identify calcified plaque because it can't see through calcium deposits or bone.
  
  
• MRI
  Analyzing the chemistry of plaque. The newest generation of MRI can give detailed images of the actual blood vessel wall as well as plaque. This high-resolution MRI can analyze plaque to a degree that none of the other diagnostics can. But studies of this type of MRI are still underway, and it's not readily available to the public. Postley uses it as a progressive diagnostic for patients who need greater clarification than the ultrasound or CT scan can provide.

The bottom line? Along with the increasing numbers and types of cholesterol-lowering medications, blood thinners and new treatments such as drug-coated coronary stents coming onto the market, these tools can help wage war on heart disease. And with these diagnostic techniques, patients may get help before they ever become symptomatic.

As for Dennis Higgins, he quit smoking and gave up hard liquor (but still enjoys an occasional glass of wine). He now eats a Mediterranean-style diet, with lots of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and a bit of fish. He's kept off 30 pounds by riding his bike, walking, playing with his kids and doing yoga. He's never felt better, he says. He and his wife are thrilled that his projected lifespan has increased to 89. "The most important message I can give another person," he says, "is to go to the doctor. Go check it out. Then get fit, get healthy -- and get on with your life."

From Reader's Digest - February 2005

Originally in 30 Minutes a Day to a Healthy Heart

 

• • Your Medical Care
• • Anti-Aging
• Heart Disease

• What Can Be Learned From a President's Heart?
• Evan a President can't command clear arteries.
• 
• Dr. Oz's 5 Tips for a Happy, Heart-Healthy Life
• The way you live does make a difference! Here's a pain-free prescription for bypassing heart disease.
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• 10 Easy Steps to a Healthier Heart
• Keep your heart healthy and reduce your heart attack risk with these simple tips.
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• Warning Signs of Heart Disease
• Important symptoms to watch out for.
• 
• Exercise Your Heart Attack Risk Away
• A healthier heart is as simple as a daily walk.
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• Know the Stages of Heart Disease
• How cholesterol wreaks havoc in your body.
•