Calcium Scoring

Calcium scoring is a test performed using a CT scan machine, to quantify the amount of calcium deposited in the coronary arteries of the heart. It is also known as EBCT or electron beam computed tomography.

In our bodies, calcium is deposited in areas of injury. In our hearts, calcium may be deposited in the vessel walls and heart valves because of prior injury caused by high blood pressure or inflammation.

The presence of calcium in the coronary arteries is correlated to the presence of plaque or thickening of the vessel wall. Such thickening may be associated with narrowing of the central part of the vessel where the blood flows. Plaques may contain calcium and fatty deposits (hard plaques) or only fatty deposits without calcium (soft plaques).

A high calcium score increases the probability of coronary artery disease. A low calcium score does not exclude the presence of coronary artery disease completely, since plaques may be “soft” or contain only fat.