CIMT Screening

Find a CIMT Scan Near You

50+ locations across 28 states. A 15-minute ultrasound that shows the actual condition of your arteries — years before symptoms, without needles or radiation.

53 locations28 states

Find Your Location What Is a CIMT Scan?

What Is a CIMT Scan?

CIMT — Carotid Intima-Media Thickness — is a non-invasive ultrasound that measures the inner layers of your carotid arteries. A trained sonographer places a probe on your neck and takes a high-resolution image. That's it. No needles, no dye, no radiation, no fasting. The scan takes about 15 minutes.

What makes CIMT different from a standard cholesterol test is simple: it shows you what's actually happening in your arteries, not what might be happening based on a blood marker. Increased wall thickness is one of the earliest detectable signs of atherosclerosis — often visible 10 to 15 years before a heart attack or stroke.

Your physician uses the measurement to calculate your vascular age — how old your arteries look compared to how old you are. A 50-year-old with the arteries of a 65-year-old has a very different risk profile than one whose arteries match their age. And unlike a calcium score (which only shows calcified plaque), CIMT detects soft, unstable plaque — the kind most likely to rupture.

Quick Facts

Duration

15 minutes

Pain

None — it's an ultrasound

Prep Required

None — no fasting, no needles

Radiation

Zero

Results

Same-day physician review

Trackable

Repeat scans show improvement over time

Why Your Doctor Probably Hasn't Ordered One

CIMT isn't part of the standard annual physical. Most physicians rely on cholesterol panels and risk calculators. Here's what those miss.

75%

of heart attack victims had LDL cholesterol levels considered "normal" or "optimal" by standard guidelines.

UCLA / American Heart Journal, 2009

50%

of heart attacks occur in people with no prior symptoms. The first sign of disease is the event itself.

American Heart Association

10–15 yrs

of silent arterial disease progression can be visible on CIMT before a heart attack, stroke, or any symptom appears.

European Heart Journal, Lorenz et al.

A normal cholesterol panel doesn't mean your arteries are clear. CIMT is the only non-invasive way to look directly at the arterial wall and see what's building up.

How It Works

Three steps. Start to finish in under an hour.

Book Your Scan

Pick a location near you and choose an available date. No referral needed. No insurance required. Walk in, get scanned.

Get Scanned (15 Minutes)

A trained sonographer places an ultrasound probe on your neck and images both carotid arteries. You'll be done before your parking meter runs out.

Review Your Results

A Renew Health physician reviews your images and explains what they mean — your arterial wall thickness, your vascular age, and whether there are signs of disease that need attention.

What Your CIMT Results Tell You

Arterial Wall Thickness

Measured to the tenth of a millimeter. This is the primary indicator of early atherosclerosis — thicker walls mean more disease activity.

Your Vascular Age

How old your arteries look compared to population norms for your age and sex. A 48-year-old with a vascular age of 62 has a very different outlook than one who matches their chronological age.

Plaque Presence & Location

CIMT can detect both calcified and soft plaque in your carotid arteries. Soft plaque is particularly dangerous — it's the kind most likely to rupture and cause a stroke or heart attack.

A Baseline for Tracking

If you're actively working on your cardiovascular health, serial CIMT measurements show whether your interventions are actually working — measured proof, not a guess.

CIMT vs. Other Heart Tests

Different tests measure different things. Here's where CIMT fits.

Test	Detects	Invasive?	Radiation	Early Detection	Trackable
CIMT UltrasoundRecommended	Arterial wall thickness, soft & hard plaque	No	None	10–15 years before symptoms	Yes — shows change over time
Coronary Calcium Score (CAC)	Calcified plaque only	No	Low-dose CT radiation	Moderate — misses soft plaque	Limited — calcium doesn't shrink
Standard Lipid Panel	Blood cholesterol levels	Blood draw	None	Poor — 75% of heart attacks have normal LDL	Yes, but doesn't show arterial condition
Cardiac Catheterization	Arterial blockages	Yes — catheter inserted into artery	Yes	Late — typically ordered after symptoms	Not practical for repeat monitoring
Stress Test	Blood flow under exertion	No	Sometimes (nuclear stress test)	Poor — often normal until 70%+ blockage	Limited

Who Should Get a CIMT Scan?

CIMT is recommended for anyone who wants to know the actual state of their arteries — not just their risk score. It's especially valuable if you have:

Family history of heart disease or stroke

High blood pressure or high cholesterol

Diabetes or pre-diabetes

History of smoking

Overweight or sedentary lifestyle

Autoimmune conditions (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis)

Sleep apnea

Periodontal disease

"Normal" labs but a nagging feeling something isn't right

You don't need a referral. You don't need symptoms. If you're over 40 and you've never seen your arteries imaged, this is the test.

Find a CIMT Location Near You

We partner with Cardiorisk Laboratories to offer CIMT screenings at 50+ locations across 28 states. Select your state to find the nearest screening site.

Alabama

Birmingham, AL

2100 Southbridge Pkwy Suite 650, Birmingham, AL 35209

Also serving: Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Homewood

Find a CIMT Scan Near You

What Is a CIMT Scan?

Quick Facts

Why Your Doctor Probably Hasn't Ordered One

How It Works

Book Your Scan

Get Scanned (15 Minutes)

Review Your Results

What Your CIMT Results Tell You

Arterial Wall Thickness

Your Vascular Age

Plaque Presence & Location

A Baseline for Tracking

CIMT vs. Other Heart Tests

Who Should Get a CIMT Scan?

Find a CIMT Location Near You

Alabama

Birmingham, AL

Arizona

Tempe, AZ

California

Fresno, CA

Newport Beach, CA

Sacramento, CA

San Jose, CA

Colorado

Highlands Ranch, CO

Florida

Boca Raton, FL

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Fort Myers, FL

Jacksonville, FL

Orlando, FL

Sarasota, FL

Tallahassee, FL

Tampa, FL

Georgia

Atlanta, GA

Hawaii

Honolulu, HI

Illinois

Joliet, IL

Kentucky

Lexington, KY

Louisiana

Baton Rouge, LA

Massachusetts

Boston, MA

Maryland

Baltimore, MD

Michigan

Dearborn, MI

Minnesota

Minneapolis, MN

Missouri

Branson, MO

Kansas City, MO

St. Louis, MO

North Carolina

Cary, NC

Charlotte, NC

New Jersey

Hackensack, NJ

Lakewood, NJ

Princeton, NJ

Nevada

Las Vegas, NV

Reno, NV

New York

Rochester, NY

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, OK

Pennsylvania

Exton, PA

South Carolina

Mt. Pleasant, SC

Tennessee

Franklin, TN

Knoxville, TN

Memphis, TN