Computer aided technology has added a new dimension to most arenas in human life. Medical science has developed many techniques to aid with new technology, to examine minutely organs deep inside the human body by accessing them. Scanning of organs like heart can be done with sound waves based technology called ultrasound. The advent of newer technological progress has offered another scanning mode through Computed Tomography or simply CT. Many views are expressed about the suitability of these techniques to pinpoint ailments in the human body. Results of heart CT scans are used for examining the general functioning of heart. Deeper insights are possible and can be used for finding deficiencies.
People having suspected heart problems are required to undergo frequent heart scans to decide status and appropriate medical treatment. High dose X-rays and calcium scans are also done. Recent comprehensive studies have shown that such scans can have effects which are still not factored fully.
People who are diagnosed with heart disorders are found to have clogs in their arteries. The main reason for these clogs formations is attributed to deposits of plaques in the arteries. The plaques are composed of cholesterol. Calcium also happens to be part of cholesterol plaque. A coronary calcium scan, when conducted, typically gives a score. This number determines the risk of coronary malfunction. Many institutions use this method for their patients. Doctors also recommend this procedure routinely. Many conclusions are drawn on the applicability of the results to a variety of heart patients. The conclusions are not very emphatic, but certainly show the trend in a particular direction.
One of the trends observed in such studies is that those who underwent these heart scans tend to show lower cholesterol levels. The reduction in cholesterol levels has resulted in decreased risk of coronary problems in future. Many differing views were expressed by specialist doctors on this phenomenon. No concrete conclusions could be drawn. It was felt that other secondary reasons could be equally responsible for lowering the risks of heart problems of heart scanned populace. Professionals in the field of coronary medicine are actively advising people to go for heart scans. The point of view of these professionals is that the reduction in heart related problems is definitely connected to calcium heart scan. However the connection between two events, namely calcium heart scan and subsequent reduction in heart related instances could not be directly established. More research is being conducted on a larger scale to find the missing links in these loosely connected happenings. There were also apprehensions that repetitive scans expose patients to X-rays and by corollary to radiation. It was also feared that this unwanted dosage of radiation may lead to increased risk of cancer. So far no definitive conclusions are drawn due to absence of robust data findings. Till such findings are established and accepted by the medical fraternity, the empirical approach remains.
Finally, it is accepted that any event that leads to a reduction in cholesterol, will automatically translate into corresponding lowering of heart related problems. The modalities of cholesterol reduction may differ according to the situation at hand. Significance of cholesterol in artery clogs was emphasized quite early. More and more research followed. People were advised to reduce cholesterol levels through standard procedures which included diet monitoring and exercise. Thus, even if calcium scans have a minor contribution towards risk reduction, it is still welcome and remains so.
