A diagnostic procedure in which a catheter is passed into a vein or artery and then guided into the heart. Cardiomyopathy: The term used to describe all diseases of the heart muscle. carotid endarterectomy: The surgical removal of the lining of a portion of a clogged carotid artery leading to the brain. Cholesterol A fatty substance that travels through the blood and is found in all parts of the body.
Imaging machines are costly. Each type of imaging device comes in a range of prices, and hospitals recoup those expenditures through imaging charges. For example, the cost of a CT scanner can be as low as $65,000 for a refurbished one that produces only small images quickly. A larger and brand new CT scanner can run as high as $2.5 million. Prices are slightly higher for MRI machines, running up to about $3 million for a new machine. Ultrasound machines are much cheaper at $10,000-$200,000, depending on brand and type. For hospitals and imaging centers, the base price for machines is just the beginning. CT and MRI imaging machines usually cost about $100,000 per year to maintain, since they get very hot and must have an internal cooling source, which also requires a lot of energy.
1 For patients not covered by health insurance, the typical cost of a calcium scoring heart CT scan is $50 to $350, while the typical cost of CT angiography ranges from $500 to $1,000.2  For example, the Heart & Vascular Hospital at Sanford in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, offers calcium scoring scans for $50.hopping for a ct scan: 1  Some scan centers or hospitals offer a discount to patients paying out-of-pocket. 2  For example, the Minneapolis Heart Institute, which normally charges $639.50 for a scan, charges $275 to patients who pay at the time of the appointment.