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Private coronary calcium score in London, the earliest marker of heart disease.

A low-dose CT that measures calcified plaque in the coronary arteries - one of the strongest predictors of future cardiac events, and a decisive input for statin decisions.

A stethoscope on a clinical desk

Indicative pricing

What a private coronary calcium score costs in London.

Indicative ranges across UK private providers.

In short

£250–£500, reported in 24–72 hours. Bundled with cardiology: £400–£750.

Scan type Indicative range
Coronary calcium score CT £250–£500
Calcium score + cardiologist consult £400–£750
Calcium score + full CTCA bundle £800–£1,500
Repeat calcium score (surveillance) £250–£500
Comprehensive CV risk workup + calcium £550–£1,000
Family screening calcium score £250–£500

Prices vary by clinic, whether cardiology interpretation is included, and whether a full CTCA is bundled.

The problem

Risk calculators give a probability. A calcium score gives you a picture.

QRISK and ASCVD are useful, but they estimate. A calcium score measures what is actually in your coronary arteries today - and reclassifies most people at intermediate risk.

  • Statin decision on the fence?

    A zero score at intermediate risk often justifies deferral; a high score often justifies starting.

  • Strong family history?

    A calcium score is one of the few tests that directly measures whether the disease has already begun.

  • Worried about the dose?

    A calcium score is around 1 mSv - comparable to six months of natural background radiation.

What it shows

What a coronary calcium score is genuinely best at.

The calcium score earns its place for specific questions - risk stratification, family history, statin decisions and surveillance.

  • Agatston score (0–400+)

    A quantified number for calcified plaque in the coronary arteries, benchmarked against your age and sex.

  • Plaque burden

    How much calcified atherosclerotic plaque you already carry - a direct measure of coronary disease, not a proxy.

  • Family-history screening

    A first-line test for people with a strong family history of early coronary disease.

  • Cardiovascular risk stratification

    Reclassifies risk far more accurately than QRISK or ASCVD alone, especially at the intermediate band.

  • Guides statin decisions

    A zero score at intermediate risk often justifies deferral; a high score often justifies starting.

  • Early detection

    Picks up disease long before symptoms - often decades before a first cardiac event.

  • Athlete screening

    A calm, objective look at coronary calcium in middle-aged endurance athletes weighing long-term risk.

  • Red flag - severe chest pain

    Severe, crushing or radiating chest pain, breathlessness or collapse: call 999. A calcium score is not for acute emergencies.

Calcium score protocols

Not all calcium score pathways are the same.

What each option on your referral is actually for.

  • Standard calcium score (Agatston)

    A quick, low-dose non-contrast ECG-gated CT with an Agatston number, per-artery breakdown and age percentile.

  • Combined with CTCA

    A calcium score followed by a full contrast CT coronary angiogram in the same visit, when anatomy also matters.

  • Family-screening protocol

    A structured pathway for adults with premature coronary disease in first-degree relatives.

  • Surveillance (every 3–5 years)

    Repeat scoring at sensible intervals to track progression and titrate prevention.

  • Statin-decision-support protocol

    Where risk is intermediate and the statin decision is uncertain, a calcium score reclassifies most patients up or down.

  • Post-treatment surveillance

    Following lipid-lowering therapy or lifestyle change, a repeat score anchors the conversation about progression.

  • Paediatric familial hypercholesterolaemia

    A specialist-led pathway for young adults with genetic dyslipidaemia and a very strong family history.

  • International guideline-based interpretation

    Reports written to SCCT, ACC/AHA and ESC prevention standards - usable anywhere your specialists sit.

Safety and eligibility

Radiation, preparation and the small print.

A calcium score is one of the simplest cardiac tests to prepare for: no contrast, no fasting, no caffeine restriction and no heart-rate control. The dose is small on modern scanners.

  • Low radiation

    A calcium score is typically around 1 mSv - comparable to six months of natural background radiation.

  • No contrast

    The calcium score is a non-contrast scan. No iodine injection, no eGFR check needed for the score itself.

  • No fasting

    Eat and drink normally beforehand, unless the scan is bundled with a full CTCA on the same visit.

  • Caffeine avoidance not required

    Unlike CTCA, coffee and tea beforehand do not affect a calcium score.

  • Heart-rate control not required

    No beta-blocker is needed for a calcium score alone - a real advantage over full CTCA.

  • Pregnancy

    Cardiac CT is deferred in pregnancy unless essential.

  • Rare metallic artefacts

    Metallic implants, pacemaker leads or previous stents can create small artefacts but rarely prevent scoring.

  • Breath-hold instructions

    You will be asked to hold your breath for around 5–10 seconds while the scan is acquired. We practise this first.

  • Interpreted with context

    The score alone is not a diagnosis. It is read alongside your risk factors, lipids and family history.

Reading your report

A calcium score report is short. The number matters most.

However clinical it looks, a calcium score report keeps to the same four parts.

A consultant cardiac radiologist reviewing coronary calcium score images on a clinical workstation in Central London

A quiet reminder

The score alone is not the whole story - it belongs alongside your risk factors and lipids.

Ask your care team to explain anything that is unclear.

  1. 01 Header

    Your details and the indication

    Your details, the protocol used, and the clinical question behind the referral - risk assessment, family history or statin decision.

  2. 02 Technique

    ECG-gated non-contrast CT

    The calcium scoring protocol, ECG-gating parameters and total radiation dose applied.

  3. 03 Findings

    Agatston score per artery, total, age percentile

    Calcium quantified in each coronary artery (LM, LAD, LCx, RCA), a total Agatston score, and an age-and-sex percentile.

  4. 04 Impression

    Read this first

    Your risk category, the statin threshold implication, and management guidance in brief. Your specialist discusses it in context.

Recognised by major UK insurers

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Frequently asked

Everything we get asked about coronary calcium scoring.

Quick answers on cost, radiation, referrals, surveillance and next steps.

  • What does a coronary calcium score show?

    A calcium score quantifies calcified atherosclerotic plaque in your coronary arteries as an Agatston number. It is one of the strongest available predictors of future cardiac events and a decisive input for statin decisions. It does not show soft (non-calcified) plaque or grade stenosis - a full CTCA does that.

  • What is the Agatston score?

    The Agatston score is a weighted sum of the area and density of calcified plaque across your coronary arteries. Broadly: 0 is very reassuring, 1–99 is mild, 100–399 is moderate, and 400+ is extensive coronary calcification. It is always interpreted with your age-and-sex percentile.

  • How is a calcium score different from a full CTCA?

    A calcium score is a quick, low-dose non-contrast CT that quantifies calcified plaque only. A CTCA uses contrast and ECG gating to image the full coronary anatomy, including soft plaque and stenosis. The calcium score is a risk marker; a CTCA answers whether there is disease and how significant it is anatomically.

  • How much does a private calcium score cost in London?

    Bundled with a cardiologist consult it is £400–£750, and combined with a full CTCA it is £800–£1,500.

  • Do I need a referral for a calcium score?

    Yes. Cardiac CT is a specialist test and should be justified by a doctor.

  • How much radiation does a calcium score involve?

    A modern calcium score is typically around 1 mSv - comparable to six months of natural background radiation, and considerably less than a full CTCA (1–3 mSv).

  • Does a calcium score detect soft plaque?

    No. A calcium score only quantifies calcified plaque. Younger patients with early, non-calcified (soft) plaque can have a zero score and still have disease. If soft plaque is a concern, a full CTCA is the right test.

  • How often should I repeat a calcium score?

    A common cadence is every three to five years, or sooner if there is a specific reason (a new risk factor, a change in therapy, or a strong family event). A zero score often supports a longer interval; a moderate or high score anchors prevention.

  • Will my insurance cover a calcium score?

    Coverage varies. Some policies fund calcium scoring where clinically indicated (family history, statin decision, chest pain workup); others treat it as a screening test paid privately.

  • When should I see a GP instead?

    If you have new or worsening chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations or collapse, do not book a calcium score first - see your GP or A&E. Calcium scoring is for asymptomatic risk stratification; symptoms need a different pathway.

Related tests

Looking for a different heart test?

In practice, in London

Booking coronary calcium score privately in London - what actually happens

With coronary calcium score, the London question is usually about report turnaround and the radiologist reading it - not whether the scan is available. Public provision for coronary calcium score is competent but constrained by capacity. Private London clinics tend to have shorter diaries and longer appointment slots, so you get the same specialists with more time. For people who’ve been going round in circles with primary care, that first proper conversation is often what shifts things.

The mechanics are straightforward: a consultant appointment, any tests done at a nearby CQC-registered site, and a written report back within a few days. London’s density of private diagnostics - Marylebone, the City, Chelsea, Canary Wharf - means most patients can find something that fits around work without a cross-town trek. For coronary calcium score specifically, the difference between a routine report and a sub-speciality read is where private care earns its keep.

We’re careful about what a private pathway for coronary calcium score can and can’t promise. It can compress a wait, put you in front of a subspecialist quickly, and get a proper report in your hands within a week. It can’t rewrite what the imaging or the bloods say. Setting that expectation up front tends to make the whole experience less stressful.