What are the benefits vs. risks?

Benefits

• Cardiac CT for calcium scoring is a convenient and noninvasive way of evaluating whether you may be at increased risk for a heart attack.
• The exam takes little time, causes no pain, and does not require injection of contrast material.
• An EBCT scan takes less than 20 minutes and you can return to normal activities immediately afterward.
• No radiation remains in a patient's body after a CT examination.
• X-rays used in CT scans should have no immediate side effects.

Risks

• There is always a slight chance of cancer from excessive exposure to radiation. However, the benefit of an accurate diagnosis far outweighs the risk.
• The effective radiation dose for this procedure varies.
• Women should always inform their physician and x-ray or CT technologist if there is any possibility that they are pregnant. 
• CT scanning is, in general, not recommended for pregnant women unless medically necessary because of potential risk to the baby in the womb.
• A high calcium score may sometimes be followed by other diagnostic tests for heart disease, which may or may not provide results with clinical value and can be associated with side effects.