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The Proof · July 6, 2026 · 1h 15m

Can You Reverse Heart Disease? What My Plaque Scans Showed | Dr Campbell Rogers

Dr. Campbell Rogers
Show Notes

Host Simon discovers through repeated CT scans that his arterial plaque volume dropped 40% over 16 months. Dr. Campbell Rogers, an interventional cardiologist and CMO at Heartflow, explains the difference between calcium scores and soft plaque detection, why seeing your plaque matters for medication adherence, and the honest limitations of plaque imaging technology. The conversation bridges the gap between what we can now visualize and what we still don't fully understand about heart disease progression.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Curious

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Soft Plaque Calcification May Signal Stabilization, Not Progression21:28
Plaque that transitions from soft to calcified may indicate stabilization and reduced rupture risk, challenging the assumption that all calcification means worsening disease.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini

Highlights

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Calcium Score Zero Provides False Reassurance28:45
A calcium score of zero does not mean you are free of coronary artery disease—soft plaque can be present and dangerous even when calcium scoring shows nothing.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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Seeing Your Plaque Improves Medication Adherence34:04
Visualizing your own arterial plaque on a scan dramatically increases patient compliance with preventive medications like statins, even in skeptical patients.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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Plaque Rupture, Not Volume, Triggers Most Heart Attacks43:25
A heart attack occurs when soft plaque ruptures and triggers thrombosis, not simply when plaque volume reaches a critical threshold—a distinction that changes how we should monitor and treat disease.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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Coronary CT Angiography with AI Analysis Detects Disease Missed by Stress Tests11:54
A coronary CT angiogram with AI plaque analysis can reveal significant coronary artery disease in asymptomatic patients where functional stress testing would show no abnormality.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini

Misc

✧Simon's plaque volume decreased 40% in 16 months—a measurable, reproducible result that surprised even the expert
✧Campbell Rogers transitioned from running Brigham and Women's cath lab to leading AI-powered cardiac imaging at Heartflow
✧Soft plaque calcification may be a sign of stabilization, not progression—counterintuitive to most assumptions
✧A calcium score of zero provides false reassurance; soft plaque is invisible to traditional screening
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