Carotid Artery IMT Ultrasounds to Detect Plaque Build Up Before It Kills

Carotid artery ultrasound is a great screening tool to detect asymptomatic plaque build up in the patients arteries. Studies show that if there is plaque build up in the carotid’s that there is a 70-95% chance that it is also in the coronary arteries which supply the heart. Dr. Sean Breen is only physician in Orange County, California who uses HeartSmart IMT to screen patients for potentially lethal atherosclerosis.

Cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke and congestive heart failure) is the number one cause of death worldwide. 58% of men and women over the age of 50 will die of heart disease. Compare that number to less than 20% for all cancers. It should be the #1 goal of every doctor to accurately screen for the presence of heart disease in every patient. Consider that a week before Davy Jones of The Monkeys died of heart attack he went to his doctor, had a full physical and was told the was in good health. How can that be?

Here is what the research shows:

-50% of patients find out they have heart disease when they die of a heart attack
-33% of patients that have heart attacks have normal cholesterol levels
-50% of patients having a heart attack have normal EKG findings

Carotid Ultrasounds Save Lives

Traditional medical screening tests are failing our patients. For example, the typical doctor checks blood pressure and a standard cholesterol panel. Maybe they order an EKG to put in the patients chart. All three of these test can be completely normal and that patient is told he is doing great. A week later he has a stroke and is baffled at how this could have been missed?

Two days ago I took care a 63 year old women whose husband suffered a massive stroke two years prior. He has active, did tai chi 5 days a week, had a normal blood pressure and was not overweight. What his doctors didn’t know was that his right carotid artery was blocked 99%. It was a piece of that plaque that broke off and logged in his brain causing his stroke. That could have been prevented had he been screened annually using this HeartSmart IMT technology.

Any one over 40 with any risk factors for heart disease should have this easy screening test. The test itself takes 10 minutes, emits ZERO radiation and is 100% safe. A simple ultrasound probe is placed over the neck until the carotid artery can be clearly visualized.

The cost of this test is only $295 and includes an easy to read report that states 1. How thick the artery wall is 2. If there is plaque build-up 3. How dangerous is the plaque and 4. What percentage of the artery is clogged.

If you would like to schedule a consult with Dr. Sean Breen simply give us a call at 877-721-0047 and visit us online at www.breencenter.com.