Coronary Artery Calcium Scan

Heart attack, also called myocardial infarction, is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply caused due to blockage in one or more of the coronary arteries supplying the heart. Using computed tomography (CT) images of the heart and other types of imaging, build-up of dangerous coronary plaques--which restrict the flow of blood to the heart. Coronary calcium builds up at the site of coronary plaque, so a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan often referred to as a "calcium scan" can be effective in detecting even minute amounts of CAC.