Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia. contractor. n. 1) a person or entity that enters into a contract. 2) commonly, a person or entity that agrees to construct a building or to provide or install specialized portions of the construction.
Test Overview. Coronary calcium scans use a special X-ray test called computed tomography (CT) to check for the buildup of calcium in plaque on the walls of the arteries of the heart (coronary arteries). This test is used to check for heart disease in an early stage and to determine how severe it is. Coronary calcium scans are also called cardiac calcium scoring. The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart. Normally, the coronary arteries do not contain calcium. Calcium in the coronary arteries is a sign of coronary artery disease (CAD) . A CT scan takes pictures of the heart in thin sections. The pictures are recorded in a computer and can be saved for more study or printed out as photographs.
A heart CT scan may also be called a coronary CT angiogram, if it is meant to view the arteries that bring blood to your heart.It may be called a coronary calcium scan if it meant to determine whether there is a build-up of calcium in your heart. computed tomography scanâcommonly called a CT scanâis a test that uses X-rays to view your heart and blood vessels. These scans use safe amounts of radiation to create detailed images of the body, which can help your doctor to detect any problems.