What Are the Risks of a Coronary Calcium Scan?
Coronary calcium scanning has very few risks. The
test isn’t invasive, which means that no surgery is done and no
instruments are inserted into your body. Coronary calcium scanning
doesn’t require an injection of contrast dye to make your heart or
arteries visible on the x-ray images.
Because an x-ray machine is involved, you will be
exposed to a small amount of radiation. Electron-beam computed tomography
(EBCT) uses less radiation than multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). In
either case, the amount of radiation is less than or equal to the amount of
radiation you’re naturally exposed to in a single year. |