St. Mary’s Medical Center (SMMC) now offers a 64-slice Cardiac CT Scan service, one of the most advanced coronary artery disease (CAD) diagnostic procedures available. The 64-slice Cardiac CT Scan captures high resolution, 3-D images of the heart anatomy, coronary arteries and surrounding chest cavity. This allows doctors to distinguish between calcified plaque and soft plaque that may be at risk of rupturing and causing heart attacks.

Traditional invasive coronary angiography is often reserved for patients with advanced heart disease (who have a 70% or higher blockage), meaning that patients with less than 70% blockage are more likely to go under-diagnosed with traditional stress testing even though they may still be at high risk of suffering from a heart attack. One of the leading advantages of the 64-Slice CT Scan is that it shows plaque blockages that traditional tests might miss. The non-invasive 64-slice CT angiogram can identify plaque blockages of less than 70%, the level at which a majority of heart attacks occur.

"The 64-slice CT scan is proving to be a powerful tool in the fight against coronary artery disease," said Dr. Peter Teng, M.D., director of the Cardiac CT program at St. Mary's Medical Center. "This gives us the ability to diagnose patients earlier and provide a high resolution image with accurate detail into the heart, chest cavity and arteries of most people."

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Close to half a million Americans have a new heart attack each year and nearly half of those attacks are fatal. The new 64-slice cardiac CT scan not only identifies patients with coronary artery disease, but also detects those patients with a clean bill of health allowing them to walk away with less apprehension and concern.

For 150 years, St. Mary's Medical Center has provided the Bay Area with compassionate, personalized care combined with the latest advances in medical care and cutting-edge technology.

St. Mary's is a full-service acute care facility with more than 575 physicians and 1,100 employees who provide high-quality and affordable health care services to the Bay Area community. Home to advanced medical practices, such as the nation's first digital cardiac catheterization laboratory, pioneering spine surgery and comprehensive rehabilitation, St. Mary's Medical Center is one of San Francisco's leading hospitals, offering patients a full range of outpatient and inpatient services delivered with the human touch.

For more information, please call (415) 668-1000.