If you have a coronary CT calcium scan done, then you may receive what’s called an Agatston score. This number measures how much calcium showed up on a computed tomography scan of the coronary arteries. Since calcium deposits can narrow the arteries and increase the chances of having a heart attack, knowing your coronary calcium score in advance can help you reduce the risk.
Agatston scores are assigned weighted values based on the total density of calcification in your arteries. While different cardiologists prefer to use slightly different methods of calculating the Agatston score, the end goal is to see how much calcification there is and develop a plan to repair any damage to the arteries.
Lesion-specific calcium scores are now available too. This method takes into account the dimensions of any speck of calcium in your arteries, which can help your cardiologist to make a more accurate diagnosis.
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