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1. The Coronary Artery Calcium Score is a measurement of the amount of calcium in the walls of the arteries that supply your heart muscle, using a special computed tomography (CT) scan of your heart. It shows the amount of hardening of the artery wall (a disease called atherosclerosis) that you have. It tells you about your risk of a heart attack or stroke (brain attack) in the next five to ten years. April 27, 2010 -- Doctors who use CT scans to detect calcium buildup in arteries may be able to better predict heart disease risk in some of their patients, a new study suggests. Calcium deposits in the walls of arteries are part of the process of accumulating plaque, called atherosclerosis. The amount of calcium in artery walls is proportional to the amount of plaque present and is reported as a calcium score..  Cardiac Calcium Scoring. The coronary arteries are the vessels that supply oxygen containing blood to the heart. The plaque that may be found in these arteries is a build-up of fat, calcium and other substances that can either narrow or close the arteries. Some symptoms of plaque build-up in these arteries may be chest pain, arm tingle, or back pain. Cardiac Scoring, which is also known as Heart Scan or Calcium Scoreis a non-invasive CT scan of the heart. It will calculate your risk of developing Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) by measuring the amount of calcified plaque in the coronary This test is used to check for heart disease in an early stage and to determine how severe it is. Coronary calcium scans are also called cardiac calcium scoring. The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart. Normally, the coronary arteries do not contain calcium. Calcium in the coronary arteries may be a sign of coronary artery disease (CAD) . A CT scan takes pictures of the heart in thin sections.  After a coronary calcium scan, you'll get a calcium score called an Agatston score. The score is based on the amount of calcium found in your coronary (heart) arteries. You may get an Agatston score for each major artery and a total score. The test is negative if no calcifications are found in your arteries. This means your chance of having a heart attack in the next 2–5 years is low. The test is positive if calcifications are found in your arteries. Calcifications are a sign of atherosclerosis (ATH-er-o-skler-O-sis) and coronary heart disease (CHD). (Atherosclerosis is a condition in which plaque builds up in the arteries.) The higher your Agatston score is, the more severe the atherosclerosis. The answer: A coronary calcium scan. Now a high calcium score does not directly mean your arteries are blocked with plaque or calcium. It’s a predictor, much like cholesterol. It’s a very good predictor. And unlike often used measures like your cholesterol and Framingham Risk Score, this is a 5 year risk predictor. Which is another reason why I like it.  The main supply of blood to the brain is carried by the carotid arteries. The carotid arteries branch off from the aorta (the largest artery in the body) a short distance from the heart, and extend upward through the neck carrying oxygen-rich blood to the brain. Because the carotid arteries deliver blood to the brain, carotid artery disease can have serious implications by reducing the flow of oxygen to the brain. The brain needs a constant supply of oxygen in order to function. Answer: If you have calcium in your arteries even without evidence of blockages, you do have atherosclerosis. This is not different than common plaque, it's just a different form. And, yes, it could be the cause of your heart attack.  The more calcium (and therefore the more atherosclerosis) you have, the higher the risk that you may have a heart attack or stroke. A high Calcium Score does not mean that you will have a heart attack, only that you are much more likely to have one than someone with a low score. It shows the amount of hardening of the artery wall (a disease called atherosclerosis) that you have. It tells you about your risk of a heart attack or stroke (brain attack) in the next five to ten years. Carotid artery disease is similar to coronary artery disease, in which blockages occur in the arteries of the heart, and may cause a heart attack. To better understand how carotid artery disease affects the brain, a basic review of the anatomy of the circulation system of the brain follows. Because the carotid arteries deliver blood to the brain, carotid artery disease can have serious implications by reducing the flow of oxygen to the brain. The brain needs a constant supply of oxygen in order to function.
http://www.insideradiology.com.au/pages/view.php?T_id=37 http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20100427/calcium-in-arteries-may-predict-heart-risk http://umm.edu/programs/diagnosticrad/services/technology/ct/cardiac-calcium-scoring http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/cardiac-calcium-scoring http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cscan/show http://www.signaturemedicinemd.com/concierge/value-of-coronary-calcium-score http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/cardiovascular_diseases/carotid_artery_disease_85,P08248/ http://washington.providence.org/hospitals/regional-medical-center/services/heart-and-vascular-services/heart-and-vascular-education/answers-from-a-vascular-expert/ http://www.insideradiology.com.au/pages/view.php?T_id=37 http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/cardiovascular_diseases/carotid_artery_disease_85,P08248/
what does calcium in the arm arteries mean