Coronary Calcium Score

• How to achieve healthy lifestyle – Diet (and supplements) – Physical Activity – BMI < 25 – Stop smoking • Atherosclerosis biology and prevention – Target of Rx (LDL-C, statin pleiotropy, etc) – Primary vs Secondary Prevention • Lessons from clinical trials – What have we learned? – What can’t we learn? • Guidelines for Primary prevention – Risk stratification – Coronary calcium screening – Statins (who and how) – Subgroups (v young, v old, women, DM, etc) – Hypertension – Diabetes – Aspirin • Management dilemmas • Patient expectations, treatment skeptics and enthusiasts, direct marketing to patients, “medicalising” poor lifestyle

For patients with acute or chronic chest pain, CT Angiography is a non-invasive way to accurately image the coronary arteries without the need for an interventional angiogram. It provides a comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular anatomy for the presence of coronary artery disease.
Three-dimensional volume-rendered images are useful for assessing the relationships among different anatomical structures, as well as quantifying atherosclerotic coronary plaques. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated CTA sensitivity of up to 95% and specificity of up to 98%.
Differentiating between amyloid variants is important for prognosis, therapy and genetic counseling. Consider in patients with unexplained heart failure, increased left ventricular wall thickness, unexplained neuropathy or bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. Tc-99m PYP imaging has shown a 98.2% specificity and a 92.3% sensitivity in diagnosing ATTR.

Regina Ason, M.D.
Diagnostic Radiologist Specialty: Body and Cardiac Imaging

"At just $100, this test is affordable for your patients and can help you gain critical insight into their cardiovascular condition."
-Regina Ason, M.D.

Coronary
Calcium Score 5X more accurate than other risk assessment methods Clinically shown to be five (5) times more accurate than other risk assessment methods at predicting which patients are at risk for coronary artery disease, the coronary calcium score is superior to all other non-invasive risk assessment methods, such as cholesterol and blood pressure measurement.
According to a 2018 report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, "Coronary Artery Calcium scoring has emerged as a widely available, consistent, and reproducible means of assessing risk for major CV outcomes, especially when planning primary prevention interventions such as statins and aspirin. CAC testing in asymptomatic populations is cost-effective across a broad range of baseline risks, and has been shown to positively impact patient compliance." 1 Coronary Calcium Score

Echocardiogram
For the convenience of referring physicians, we offer echocardiograms at RIS. When you need to evaluate blood flow through a patient's heart chambers, valves and blood vessels, our Central Lakeland location performs this test at some of the most competitive pricing in the region. Expert interpretation is provided by a board-certified cardiologist on staff.

Heart Flow
Using the imaging data obtained from coronary CT angiography, HeartFlow can non-invasively measure the impact blockages are having on blood flow. The HeartFlow FFRct (fractional flow reserve CT) uses sophisticated software to create a personalized 3D model of the heart and calculates a mathematically derived quantity computed from simulated pressure, velocity and blood flow information.
The PLATFORM study demonstrated that FFRct reduced invasive catheterizations and costs, while achieving equivalent clinical outcomes and quality of life, compared with conventional care.

About Radiology and Imaging Specialists (RIS)
RIS is Central Florida's local, physician-owned radiology group. Our team of over 30 board-certified physicians includes specialists and subspecialists in all aspects of diagnostic and interventional radiology.
In addition to our various outpatient imaging centers, we are affiliated with Lakeland Regional Health, Winter Haven Hospital, Lake Wales Medical Center, Heart of Florida Hospital, Manatee Memorial Hospital, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, South Florida Baptist Hospital, Gessler Clinic and Bond Clinic.
Our physicians, administration and staff strive to build a community practice dedicated to the highest levels of quality clinical care and customer service. We are a true partner to referring physicians, always available, exceptionally responsive and professionally courteous.