HEARTCHECK

ASCOT RADIOLOGY is the first radiology centre in New Zealand to introduce Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring - a new test in the fight against New Zealand's number one killer - heart disease

In less than 20 minutes a person undergoing the test will have a score that indicates how likely they are to have symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease.

The test is conducted by a radiologist who uses state of the art High Speed Gated Coronary Computer Tomography (High Speed GCCT) - a form of CT scanning. It is a completely non-invasive and painless test.

The test measures the amount of calcium in or around your arteries - which is an indicator of the amount of fatty deposits you may have in your arteries - the prime cause of arterial blockage - a precursor to heart attack.

WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE?

People who exhibit cardiac risk factors which are:

* History of smoking
* Being overweight
* High blood pressure
* High cholesterol
* Family history of heart disease
* A lack of regular exercise
* Diabetes
* High Stress

The test is more appropriate for people aged 40 to 70 years.

WHAT IF I ALREADY HAVE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE - SHOULD I TAKE THE TEST?

This is not an appropriate test for someone who already has coronary artery disease. This is a screening test to establish whether you are likely to contract coronary artery disease in the future, so that you can take preventive measures to avoid heart attack.