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Now Playing: At Risk for Heart Disease?

At Risk for Heart Disease?

Reviewed By: Matthew Hoffman,

SOURCES: Medical Reference from Medstar Television. American College of Radiology, public information site. American Heart Association. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

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Narrator:

Alan Travis is an avid athlete.

Alan Travis, CT Scan Patient:

Two days before the, I went down for the test I did a 27 mile bicycle ride.

Narrator:

Alan saw the new 64-Slice C-T heart scan on T-V. On a whim, he decided to take the test.

Alan Travis, CT Scan Patient:

I really didn't think anything was gonna be found whatsoever. I was really surprised.

Narrator:

The seemingly healthy 50-year-old was in trouble.

Alan Travis, CT Scan Patient:

They found out I had two arteries 100% blocked, one 70 percent. So they invited me to stay over that night and do the triple bypass the next day.

Narrator:

Alan was forced to skip an upcoming race.

Alan Travis, CT Scan Patient:

Dr. Diethrich said I would have been dead that day on that ride.

Narrator:

Edward Diethrich (dee-trick) is Alan's doctor, and praises the new C-T scan.

Edward Diethrich, Cardlovascular Surgeon, Founder & Medical Director, Arizona Heart Institute:

I think this is going to revolutionize the way we work on patients.

John Sutherland, MD, Moninvasive Cardiologist, Medical Director of CT Scanner, Arizona Heart Institute:

The images are obtained in between heartbeats when the heart isn't in motion, so that we can get good, sharp pictures.

Narrator:

The pictures then determine a patient's calcium score.

John Sutherland, MD, Moninvasive Cardiologist, Medical Director of CT Scanner, Arizona Heart Institute:

The more calcium we see, the more plaque you have in your arteries.

Narrator:

Family history and high cholesterol brought Jeremy Bilawa (bill-a-wa) in for the scan.

Jeremy Bilawa, CT Scan Patient:

It was very appealing because it was non-invasive and I am very afraid of hospitals and doctors. So it worked out well for me.

Narrator:

In just 15 seconds, the machine takes 64 views of the moving heart. The 3-D images are then analyzed by a computer to give doctors a detailed picture.

Jeremy Bilawa, CT Scan Patient:

I was expecting to have something, but uh, I got good, good news.

Narrator:

Jeremy got the lowest score possible: a zero. And the 64-slice C-T scanner is making the grade in hospitals throughout the country. For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.