Heart Scans Gaining Publicity
The New York Times is publicising the dilemma with virtual heart scans. The idea of
preventative heart scans, virtual colonoscopies and full body scans have been debated for years now by physicians. Many of these scans are becoming mainstream techniques for lung and colon cancer screening and prevention; however some old-school doctors have yet to convert to scanning-aficionados.
According to the NYT the longstanding debate is,
"CT scans are faster and less invasive than conventional angiograms, the gold standard for diagnosis and identification of blockages, but they expose patients to higher doses of radiation, which may increase the risk of cancer."
Though there are some sceptics many cardiologists have been quick to instil preventative scanning yearly for their patients. Although the scans are not widely adored by all cardiologists, the results stand positive for yearly check-ups for high risk candidates.
