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Recent television news stories about LifeScore®

December 10, 2004 - The December issue of TODAY IN CARDIOLOGY provides an excellent overview of current recommendations for coronary artery calcium scoring. With respect to former President Clinton's recent bypass, the article states:

"Some cardiologists believe that an electron-beam tomography imaging study five to 10 years ago identifying advanced (or even above average for his age) coronary artery calcifications (CAC) would have provided much-needed information to risk-stratify and better treat Clinton, possibly avoiding the need for surgical revascularization."

The article also notes:

"Multiple studies have examined the prognostic accuracy of CAC measured by EBCT. Combined, these studies have included over 25,000 asymptomatic patients followed for two to seven years, and the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with elevated CAC scores was 2.5 to 20 times higher than in those patients with low CAC scores, even after adjusting for traditional risk factors for CHD and, in some cases, CRP levels.

This prompted the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines in 2002 to conclude that 'measurement of coronary calcium is an option for advanced risk assessment in appropriately selected persons. In persons with multiple risk factors, high coronary calcium scores (e.g., >75th percentile for age and sex) denote advanced coronary atherosclerosis and provide a rationale for intensified LDL-lowering therapy."

Click here to download the entire report

December 10, 2004 - TIME Magazine on December 6, 2004 gives a round up of the year in medicine with an A to Z listing of key advances and discoveries. One of the entries for the letter 'C' is as follows: 

Coronary Calcium
One of the hardest things for heart doctors to do is predict, before the appearance of any symptoms, which of their patients are likely to have a heart attack. The Framingham Risk Score - which measures such variables as age, sex, smoking history, cholesterol level, blood pressure and diabetes - has helped doctors in the past, but it's not perfect.

By combining the Framingham scores with advanced heart-imaging technology, scientists have found, physicians can significantly improve their ability to identify patients at risk. Known as the coronary-artery calcium score, the imaging data come from specialized CT scans of heart vessels that pick up calcium deposits around which plaques can form."

Click here to read the complete article

November 26, 2004. The LifeScore Clinic is introducing a new guide for its patients.

The guide, called HealthScore, is a detailed description of the LifeScore tests accompanied by the HealthScore Program, Dr. Michael Wright's program for cardiovascular health. The guide is a 37 page comprehensive look at how a visit to LifeScore can be the first step in designing a complete program of nutrition, exercise, and, if necessary, medications for promoting a healthy heart.

The program can be downloaded in Adobe format.

Dateline November 27, 2004. Recent Article in Wall Street Journal Reveals Power of LungScore for Preventing Lung Cancer.

Researchers at Cornell Medical Center in New York City will report early results of alarge study at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

In the study, called the International Early Lung Cancer Action Project, 27,000 people at high risk for lung cancer received CT, or computed tomography, scans, and 20,000 follow-up screenings were performed in 1993 to 2004. More than 400 patients were diagnosed with cancer, mostly in the early stages.

After following patients for up to 10 years -- four years on average -- preliminary results indicate that 96% of those patients who had the cancer removed had no recurrence. Lung cancer is often diagnosed in late stages, when symptoms show up. As a result, the five-year survival rate for all stages of lung cancer combined is only 15%.

Click here to read the complete article

Dateline November 27, 2004. News From the American Heart Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans, November 2004 on CT Scanning and the Heart!

Click on the link below to find abstracts of several of the new studies using cardiac CT scanning. Read abstracts on the association between coronary calcium and Lp(a), the predictive value of aortic valve calcification, women and coronary calcium, prognostic value of coronary calcium for future cardiac events, screening for heart disease in patients with chest pain, and many other exciting studies!

Click here to read the complete article

Dateline October 19, 2004 - 'LA Times Article Discusses Coronary Calcium Scoring and President Clinton'

Many of the nation's top cardiologists called Clinton's bypass surgery "the ultimate failure in preventive medicine." By using only traditional risk factor testing, 88% of those who have heart attacks would have been labeled low to moderate risk by their doctors on the day before their heart attack.

Clinton's experience demonstrates that even a former president with access to the best medical care available can have undiagnosed heart disease. Many doctors advocate aggressive use of preventive screening, including a coronary calcium scan.

Click here to read the complete article

Related story:
Isiah Thomas on full court press for heart scans

Dateline September 28, 2004 - 'Clinton Heart Disease Reveals Misconceptions about Testing' A news release from James Ehrlich, MD, president of the Society for Responsible Preventive Imaging, discusses the failures associated with Mr. Clinton's medical care:  "Many of the nation's leading cardiac imaging experts are examining the lessons learned from President Clinton's recent heart problems". 

"Coronary disease among celebrities draws widespread media attention with interviews from well known cardiologists and speculation about specific medical examinations and appropriate attention to risk factors. In the matter of Mr. Clinton, questions have arisen regarding his cholesterol management and compliance with lipid-lowering medications, the failure of stress testing to detect coronary disease and the astounding fact that his initial symptom was severe and life-threatening, requiring immediate bypass surgery.

Click here to read the complete article

Dateline September 21, 2004 - 'Scan for Heart Attack Risk to Get a Boost' - as reported in the Wall Street Journal.

The American Heart Association is preparing to release a statement that will, for the first time, endorse use of coronary calcium scoring (HeartScore) for patients at intermediate risk of heart disease. When compared to their prior statement on the technology from the year 2000, the AHA now concludes that the evidence is strongly in favor of using EBT scanners (the type of scanner in use at the LifeScore Clinic) as the 'gold standard' for measuring the quantity of atherosclerosis, or plaque, in the coronary arteries.

Click here to read the complete article

Dateline September 10, 2004 - Two new studies show advantages of virtual colonoscopy over invasive colonoscopy.

The articles appeared in the September 7 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine and in the September issue of Radiolology. The Annals study discusses the significant blind spots that exist with invasive colonoscopy. The Radiology article describes which kinds of polyps are better seen with virtual colonoscopy. For an excellent summary of the findings please follow this link.

Dateline September 4, 2004 - Dr. Wright appeared on KUSI TV morning news to discuss Former President Clinton's upcoming bypass surgery.

Dr. Wright noted that Clinton has thought for years that he was at high risk because of his family history. He has had yearly stress tests, and has been placed on Zocor, a cholesterol lowering medication. Yet, he silently developed severe enough heart disease to warrant a bypass at age 58.

He is a prime example of the importance of early detection. HeartScore can easily identify the high risk patient years before the neccesity for bypass surgery. By carefully tracking HeartScores, patients know whether they have lowered their LDL cholesterol far enought to initiate regression of plaque. Many people will need to lower their LDL below 75 for plaque to be arrested.

Dateline September 1, 2004 - Major study confirms importance of coronary artery calcium scoring.

An article in the August 18, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology studied 1,195 patients to compare results of nuclear stress testing with to the results of coronary artery calcium scoring. Four important conclusions were reached:

1. Coronary artery calcium scoring (HeartScore) was significantly better than standard risk factor analysis at identifying those patients who had abnormal stress test results.

2. In those who had normal stress test results, 56% had coronary artery calcium scores over 100, indicating moderate (100-400) or severe (>400) plaque burden in the arteries.

3. In those who had abnormal stress test results, fully 90% had calcium scores over 100.

4. In those with very high calcium scores (>400), only 23% of subjects without symptoms had abnormal stress test results, and only 47% of those with symptoms of shortness of breath or chest pain had abnormal stress test results.

This study confirms that the HeartScore is the best single test for identifying patients with significant coronary plaque. Stress testing and risk factor analysis, while important tools for risk stratification and identification of narrowed arteries, do not identify correctly many individuals with high levels of coronary plaque who may require aggressive lifestyle and medical management to prevent future heart attacks.

Click here to read the article

Dateline September 1, 2004 - LifeScore Clinic scanner offers much lower radiation than scanner used in radiology article (Radiology 2004;232:735-738) reported in the media on 8/21/04

This article reported research that exposure to full body scans for 30 years (one a year) would increase lifetime risk of cancer by 2%. A single scan would increase risk by 0.08%. The study was purely theoretical, based on data from Hiroshima survivors 1.5 miles from the epicenter. No actual studies have been able to demonstrate an increased risk from cancer. A single large dose of radiation is always more harmful to the body than many smaller exposures. The lead author of the article, Dr. Brenner, was quoted as saying: "I don't think there's much of a problem in having one full-body CT scan, but I wouldn't recommend having them on an annual basis."

The full body scan used for the article was done with standard spiral CT scanners. The body was scanned from head to toe. At the LifeScore Clinic, our scanner is electron beam technology, which has 1/6 the radiation dose of standard scanners. The risks of the diseases we are detecting are far greater (50% of Americans die directly from cardiovascular disease, and it contributes to many other deaths indirectly. Cancers kill another 20-25% of the population.) than the comparatively minute and theoretical risk associated with a scan.

Dateline June 16, 2004 - An article by Dr. Allison and Dr. Wright has appeared in the International Journal of Cardiology.

The article is entitled 'A Comparison of HDL and LDL Cholesterol for Prevalent Coronary Calcification'. The article looks at 6,093 HeartScore scans to determine the relative importance of HDL vs. HDL cholesterol in determining the risk for plaque in the coronary arteries. The study demonstrates that low HDL is three times more powerful than high LDL in predicting the presence of plaque in the coronary arteries. However, neither variable is very good to use as a screening tool for the prediction of the presence of plaque, and therefore as a predictor of future risk of a heart attack. Numerous other studies have corrobarated this by showing that the extent of plaque in the coronary arteries as measured by EBT scanning is a more powerful predictor of future heart attacks that either coronary angiograms or cholesterol levels. Click here to read the article.

Dateline June 16, 2004 - The LifeScore Clinic is proud to announce it's participation in two important clinical studies in association with UCSD School of Medicine. All of our patients will be receiving a letter in the mail inviting them to participate in these studes.

The first study, called ATHERO, is funded by the American Heart Association. Participating patients will fill out a questionnaire to determine whether any adverse cardiac events have occured, what procedures have been done, what medications may have been started, and what lifestyle changes may have been initiated. The results of this study will provide us with valuable data on outcomes as they are related to abnormal heart scans and neck scans.

The second study is called JUPITER, and is a long-term study of the cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins. We are simply looking for patients who may be interested in participating in this important study, which will see whether statins lower risk in patients with high levels of C-reactive protien, a marker in the blood for inflammation.

Dateline 5/3/04 - Dr. Michael Wright appeared on Channel 8 at 11 pm this evening discussing women and heart disease.

The American Heart Association has launched a vigorous effort to increase physician and patient awareness about the differences between men and women with respect to heart disease and stroke. Women develop the disease about 10 years later than men, but suffer more severe consequences and have a poorer prognosis once the disease is diagnosed.

Please click here to read the Channel 8 story about the interview

Dateline April 27, 2004 - An article published today in the Wall Street Journal discusses two recent medical studies on virtual colonoscopy.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in December 2003 showed virtual colonoscopy to be just as accurate as invasive colonoscopy. A study published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found virtual colonoscopy to be significantly less accurate.

The reason for the discrepancy is two-fold: The NEJM study used cutting edge 3D workstations (Viatronix) while the JAMA study used older 2D technology. The NEJM study also used radiologists with experience reading the 3D studies, while the JAMA study used relatively inexperienced readers.

At the LifeScore Clinic, we use the Viatronix workstation used in the NEJM study (only 50 sites in the country have this technology), AND Dr. Tabita Wright has read over 800 studies. At LifeScore, experience and technology assure patients of the most accurate results possible. Please read the article by following the link.

To learn more, read this article.

Dateline April 6, 2004 - Dr. Michael Wright appeared on Channel 8 news discussing suprising new findings about the height of Americans. Compared to Europeans, Americans have traditionally been taller, because of better nutritional status. But in the past 30-40 years, Americans have stopped growing and are now shrinking. The average height of American males is 5'10". The average height of British males is 5'11", while Danish men average 6'.

The reason? Many Americans consume diets that are low in protein, low in vitamins and minerals, low in fiber, high in sugar and saturated fats. This results in poor nutritional status, and a fall off in height, which is an excellent indicator of food intake during pregnancy, childhood and adolescence, when factors affecting growth are most prominent. In Europe, where public health systems are integrated with social programs, nutritional issues are incorporated into medical programs. To learn more, read the New Yorker article.

Dateline March 2004 - Dr. Matthew Allison, assistant medical director at the LifeScore Clinic, presented a poster at the 2004 American Heart Association Cardiovascular Epidemiology Meeting in San Francisco. The poster, entitled 'Risk Factors for Calcified Atherosclerosis in Different Arterial Beds,' compares the relative effects of various known risk factors on the development of atherosclerosis in the carotid, coronary, proximal aorta, distal aorta and iliac arteries. Click here to read the article.

Dateline March 21, 2004 - A front page article in the Sunday Edition of the New York Times explores at length the new thinking in cardiology, and how it challenges traditional aggressive artery-opening strategies. In effect, a narrowed artery is rarely the 'culprit lesion' in a heart attack. The vessel wall becomes inflamed, and areas of normal width suddenly burst open with dangerous plaque debris, causing an immediate clot to form. So angioplasty and stenting have no impact on reducing risk for a heart attack.

Dr. Wright believes that EBT scans of the heart can identify those most at risk for a heart attack better than angiography. This is because the so-called 'plaque burden' measured with the calcium score is the best predictor of risk. The higher the plaque burden, the more areas of plaque-filled artery susceptible to inflammation and rupture. If a patient has a higher than average risk for heart attack, aggressive lipid lowering with statins and/or other therapies is indicated. Click here to read the article.

Dateline March 1, 2004 - A scientific research article from the LifeScore Clinic entitled "Age and Gender are the Strongest Predictors of Prevalent Coronary Calcification" has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Cardiology. The lead author is Dr. Matthew Allison.

Dateline February 27, 2004 - Dr. Michael Wright appeared on the KUSI channel 9 morning news today to discuss which vitamins and supplements to take and the appropriate doses. In general, many people who eat processed foods do need to supplement vitamin intake. On the other hand, some people are probably taking much more than they need of certain vitamins. The only very dangerous vitamin in terms of potential harmful effects from over dosage is vitamin A.

Dateline February 23, 2004 - Dr. Michael Wright appeared on the KUSI Channel 9 Evening News health segment to discuss the benefits of a diet high in Omega 3 fatty acids. Dr. Wright explained to Charlotte Starke how Omega 3's protect against the low grade chronic inflammation that leads to many diseases, including heart attacks, strokes and cancer. The so-called omega diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, seafood, and olive oil, and is low in saturated fat, omega 6 vegetable oils such as corn oil and safflower oil, low in trans-fatty acids, and low in refined carbohydrates.

Dateline 2/20/04 - Charlotte Stark, news anchor for KUSI channel 9, received a HeartScore today. She reported on the results on the 6:30 news health segment. She had a strong family history of heart disease, and so was concerned that she might be at increased risk. Happily, her score was perfect. Her segment included a discussion with Dr. Michael Wright on the importance of finding heart disease early, before a heart attack strikes.

Dateline February 2004 - Dr. Allison and Dr. Wright have published an article in the International Journal of Obesity entitled 'Body Morphology Differentially Predicts Coronary Calcium'. Click here to read the article, which discusses the correlation between body mass index, visceral fat and coronary calcium.

Dateline January 2004 - The 14th Annual Meeting of the North American Menopause Society
Matthew Budoff, MD (UCLA Medical Center) presented results of a study using electron beam CT to measure progression of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries. He compared two groups of patients; one group received standard therapy with statins and aspirin. The second group received the standard therapy and aged garlic extract. The calcium score progression, representing plaque progression, was slowed by 67% in the group using the garlic extract. He also noted a trend towards improved blood test results in the garlic group. Dr. Budoff commented- "This is a step toward providing scientific evidence to support the anecdotal experience patients and doctors have relied on for many years."

Dateline 1/21/04 - KFMB Channel 8 featured a story on using LungScore to assess damage from cigarette smoking. Colleen Wickwire, a producer at channel 8, gave up cigarette smoking several years ago and wanted an evaluation of her lungs. She visited LifeScore and spent some time with Dr. Wright, who went over her results and gave her a clean bill of health. To read the article, follow this link

Dateline 1/14/04 - A lead article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal 'Personal Journal' section, entitled 'New Evidence Bolsters Use of Heart Scans' discusses the results of an original article in the 1/14/04 issue of JAMA, the official journal of the American Medical Association. The article found that coronary artery calcium scores provided significant additional value to the standard Framingham risk factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, family history, age)in determining patients at high risk who needed more aggressive risk factor management to prevent heart attacks. To read the article, follow this link

Dateline 1/5/04 - On Saturday, January 3rd, Dr. Wright appeared on the KUSI channel 9 morning news show to discuss the recently announced federal ban on ephedra. Ephedra, a botanical supplement promoted for weight loss and performance enhancement, has been implicated in many cases of cardiovascular compromise, including sudden death, heart attacks and strokes. The ban is expected to officially begin in 3-4 months. California already has an ephedra ban in place.