From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 5, 2005

Q: I saw an "Oprah" show recently in which she talked about a heart test every woman "must have." What is this, and where can I get it? - C.K., Manchester

A: If you''ve ever doubted the impact Oprah Winfrey has on people, you should look at the number of phone calls that recently came in to Barnes-Jewish Hospital. On the show, Winfrey referred to a Web site where people could locate the test she talked about. For St. Louis, that test can be found at Barnes-Jewish and, in a few months, at Missouri Baptist.

"We were flooded with calls from people wanting this test," says Dr. Pamela Woodard, a Barne-Jewish radiologist and assistant professor at Washington University.

It''s called a 64-slice CT scanner. With the right software, it gives your doctor a view of the coronary arteries, and it can clearly show the degree of blockages you may have.

But the TV show made it sound like a screening test. Woodard says it''s not.

"It''s not like calcium scoring or any other kind of screening," she says. "This is a test that could be a good alternative to a cardiac cath. But it really needs to be done under the guidance of a physician." A cardiac catheterization is a more invasive procedure in which a tube is inserted into the artery of the groin or arm and guided to the heart.

Right now Barnes-Jewish isn''t doing the test unless it''s ordered by a doctor, though not necessarily a Barnes-Jewish doctor. That means you can''t just call up and get tested.

However, Woodard recalled one woman who had recently had a stress test where the results were unclear. She saw the show and called her doctor, who ordered the 64-slice test. "That test saved her from having to get a cardiac cath," says Woodard.

Woodard notes that while small studies have indicated this technique is very promising, no large studies have been done yet. "This is a case where the technology is ahead of the research."