The World's Fastest & Most Accurate Scanner
The CT Scanner with ASiR scanner at Inner Imaging has been proven to be one of the most sensitive and specific non-invasive tool to detect and quantify coronary artery disease.
This test remains the most powerful objective indicator for future heart attacks, far exceeding traditional risk factors which account for only 22% to 50% properly diagnosed diseases.
Ultrasound cannot identify coronary artery disease and Nuclear Stress Testing can only identify the most advanced stages of it when it is too late for prevention!. Blood tests, physical exams and EKG's are not able to detect it.
CT Scanner detects these conditions of the heart:
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Aortic Aneurysms
- Calcified Heart Valves
- Enlarged Heart
- Fluid on the Heart
- Inflammation or Thickening of Membrane covering of the Heart
- Tumors on the Heart
- Atherosclerosis of the Ascending and Descending Aorta
- Calcified Lymph Nodes
- Congenital abnormalities involving the coronary arteries
At Inner Imaging P.C., our 40-second Heart Scan is non-invasive requiring no needles, no dye so it's fast and comfortable.
Inner Imaging P.C. can detect signs of coronary artery disease long before other forms of testing can by as much as twenty years!
Who would benefit from a heart scan at Inner Imaging?
In general, men between 35 and 75, and women between 40 and 75 with one or more of the following risk factors: High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, Family History of Heart Disease, Diabetes, Smoking, Obesity, Sedentary Life Style, elevated stress levels, Peri Menopausal Women.
Take advantage of the state of the art technology at Inner Imaging to evaluate your heart health.
- FDA Approved technology
- One of the fastest scanners in the world
- Emits 1/10 the radiation of diagnostic CT
- Over 25 years of data totaling over 7,000 clinical peer reviewed papers & white papers have reviewed calcium scoring
- 99% accurate in identifying coronary heat disease as much as two decades in advance with no false positives
Lowest Radiation
Many of our patients and physicians ask us about the issue of Radiation. This is not a topic that we hide from as CT with ASiR has some of the lowest radiation in the industry and is frequently the choice for children and women.
We at Inner Imaging P.C. have gone to great lengths to protect our partners, patients and physicians from any adverse or negative comments regarding our screening program and especially negative comments relating to radiation. This is evidenced by the volumes of data that we openly provide to reassure those that question us on this issue.
As Inner Imaging P.C. has assisted your members and patients with their health care needs we feel responsible to comment on what is being offered in both our market and in others, if only to alert you. Furthermore, our patients and your members ask us frequently about our equipment. What is it? How significant is the radiation? What does it mean?
The concern in the various media articles that have appeared is that the diagnostic CT is being used for screening purposes when it was designed for diagnostic studies. According to the last published (2006) American College of Cardiology Appropriateness Criteria, the diagnostic CT is not recommended for the screening of asymptomatic patients. The 2007 ACCF/AHA statement, regarding coronary calcium, recognizes the clinical appropriateness for screening the asymptomatic, intermediate risk population using screening CT.
CT with ASiR, the science used by Inner Imaging P.C., remains the lowest radiation dose and the most clinically proven technology recognized by the American Heart Association and the ACCF for identifying asymptomatic patients for true cardiovascular risk.
| Some of the Differences | CT with ASiR | Diagnostic CT |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy (calcium) | 99% | 58% |
| Radiation (Angiography) | 1.1 mSv | 11.3 to 18 mSv |
| Radiation (Calcium) | 0.7 mSv | 5.2 mSv |
| Temporal Resolution | 100 msec | 270-550 msec |
| Beta Blockers | None needed | Must be given |
| Heart Rate | Any | Below 70 |
| Arrhythmia Patients | Yes | No |
| Prognostic Data | Yes | None |
From a clinical perspective Inner Imaging utilizes screening CT for the following reasons:
- 99% sensitive in identifying early stage coronary artery disease
- Reliable for progression studies (it can measure the annual growth of disease)
- Published Prognostic Outcome Data
- Published Clinical Guidelines
- Over 7,000 clinical studies and white papers supporting screening
- 410K FDA Approval for Wide Spread Patient Use
- Superior to Nuclear Stress Testing in identifying early and intermediate states of disease
- Utilizes a fraction of the radiation compared to other diagnostic testing
- Recommended by the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Atherosclerotic Imaging
Radiation dose and accuracy remain the big issues concerning the Diagnostic CT in calcium scoring. In addition, for some cardiovascular surgeons, another issue is growing; damage and potential damage to the chordae tendineae. These are the very thin chords that provide support to the tricuspid and mitral valves of the heart, helping them to open and shut properly. Damage to them can require a heart valve replacement. Another growing concern is the rise in breast cancer in both men and women. If we were to compare the radiation dose the Diagnostic CT can be as much as is 8 to 22 times greater.
We are providing this information so that when you are in discussion with a friend or need to make a choice you will be able to make an informed choice. The media will again attack the indescriminately high radiation dose, as it did in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The following societies have voiced concern and warning of the use of Diagnostic CT for screening; American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology Appropriateness Criteria, The Journal of the American Medical Association, American College of Cardiology Foundation, The Society of Atherosclerotic Imaging and The Association of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography.
Sources for this discussion are available on request.
Remember "The importance of a test is whether it can prevent disease, rather than the one that discovers it when it is already too late."
