Q:
Would a CTA of the chest (not a Coronary CTA-3D Heart Scan), be able to pick up a Coronary Artery Aneurysm (CAA)? I had one recently.
I wonder if a CAA could be causing my symptoms of mid to left chest pain, left arm/underarm pain and extreme dizziness-lightheadedness. All three of these symptoms happen right after light exertion, and continue to stay around for 3-5 days and have worsened in intensity over the last month. The symptoms started a few months ago, right after when I was startled. Felt at the time right before I was startled, that my blood pressure was already up some. Usually in the past, being startled hasn’t caused a problem for me. My heart rate went up and I could feel my blood pressure increase. It was immediately after that, that the symptoms began. They have gotten worse, to a point that even very little light exersion brings on the symptoms. Seems vascular related to me. I am concerned even more with having two kids- a 2 and 4 year old, and not feeling well enough to do light paced activities with them. Thanks for your time.
A:
No. it probably wouldn’t. Why are you worried about a coronary artery aneurysm (a rare disorder)?
None of your symptoms have anything to do with a CAA, which is most often a complication of high cholesterol and atherosclerosis.
You can read more here:
Chest pains:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/ca-blog/chest-pain/
Cholesterol:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-information/your-cholesterol
Atherosclerosis:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-information/atherosclerosis
Hypertension:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-information/hypertension
Heart disease in women:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-information/coronary-artery-disease
Aneurysms:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-information/aneurysms
CTCA:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-disease-diagnosis/ct-angiography-fo
Cardiac MRI:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-disease-diagnosis/cardiac-mri
Your risk for heart disease:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/app/risk-assessment.php
Hope this helps,
Dr T
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/