Cardiac calcium scoring uses a special X-ray test called computed tomography (CT) to check for the buildup of calcium in plaque on the walls of the arteries of the heart (coronary arteries). This test is used to check for heart disease in an early stage and to determine how severe it is. Cardiac calcium scoring is also called coronary artery calcium scoring.

The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart. Normally, the coronary arteries do not contain calcium. Calcium in the coronary arteries is a sign of coronary artery disease (CAD).

A CT scan takes pictures of the heart in thin sections. The pictures are recorded in a computer and can be saved for more study or printed out as photographs.

Cardiac calcium scoring is not done very often because a physical exam and other tests often give enough information about your heart. But if you are at medium risk for CAD based on your risk factors, cardiac calcium scoring may give your doctor more information to decide on your risk of CAD. Medium risk means that you have a 10% to 20% chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years, based on your risk factors. You can be at medium risk and not have any symptoms of heart disease. Check your risk with this Interactive Tool: Are You at Risk for a Heart Attack?

If your doctor thinks that results from a cardiac calcium test could change your treatment for heart disease, your doctor may advise this test for you.

Cardiac calcium scoring is not advised for routine screening, because it can show that you may have plaque in your coronary arteries even if you do not have CAD. This is especially true if you have a low risk of CAD.

Health Tools

Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.

Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems.

Heart disease risk: Should I have a coronary calcium scan?

Interactive tools are designed to help people determine health risks, ideal weight, target heart rate, and more.

Interactive Tool: Are You at Risk for a Heart Attack?

Why It Is Done

Cardiac calcium scoring is done to:

• Find out if you have coronary artery disease (CAD).
• Find out how severe your heart disease is.
• Sometimes predict if you will get symptoms of CAD.

How To Prepare

You do not need to do anything before you have this test. But you may be asked to not smoke or not eat or drink anything that has caffeine for a few hours before your test.

You probably will not have this test if you have had a heart attack, coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), or angioplasty. Also, the test usually is not for women who are or might be pregnant.

Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form(What is a PDF document?).