Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Why It Matters
A C-IMT (Carotid Intima-Media Thickness) scan uses ultrasound to measure the thickness of the inner layers of your carotid arteries (in the neck), detecting early plaque buildup (atherosclerosis) to assess your risk for heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases, often identifying issues before traditional tests, using painless, non-invasive imaging with gel and a transducer to create detailed artery images.
What it is & How it works
Measures Artery Health: It quantifies the thickness of the intima and media layers of the carotid artery walls, which carry blood to the brain.
Ultrasound-Based: Uses harmless sound waves (like sonar) to generate images, requiring no radiation or injections.
Painless & Quick: A technician applies gel to the neck and moves a transducer over the skin; the scan is fast and well-tolerated.
What it detects
Early Atherosclerosis: Detects subtle thickening that signals early plaque buildup, even before it's visible on other scans.
Vulnerable Plaque: Can identify "soft plaque" that is more prone to rupture and cause clots.
Heart Attack/Stroke Risk: The results help predict your risk for future cardiovascular events.
Who should get one?
Risk Factors: Recommended for individuals with risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking history, family history of heart disease, obesity, or a sedentary lifestyle, especially men over 45 and women over 55.
Proactive Screening: Good for those wanting early detection and prevention beyond standard cholesterol checks.
Benefits & Limitations
Benefit: Provides early insight into arterial health, guiding lifestyle changes (diet, exercise) and treatments.
Limitation: Often not covered by insurance
All In Health is partnering with Radiant Mobile Imaging to provide this important screening test so that you can know your risk and take steps to lower it. We are offering a comprehensive risk assessment for a special discounted offer of only $350 for the consultation, C-IMT ultrasound scan, and Cardiac IQ lab report through Quest. You can schedule your appointment for a full Cardiac Risk Assessment at our upcoming event on Saturday, January 17th from 11am-2pm HERE.
Take advantage of this awesome screening event now! We hope to see you soon.
RaeLeigh Payanes, MD
