|
|
Nuclear Cardiology
Nuclear cardiology allows your physician to detect blockages in the
heart's blood vessels. By using weakly radioactive substances, pictures
are generated determining how the blood flows to your heart muscle.
Typically, pictures are obtained using some sort of stress. Typically,
a treadmill exercise test is performed in conjunction with nuclear cardiology
pictures. If you are unable to walk on a treadmill, or on the advice
of your doctor, safe medications can be used instead. The total radiation
dose is less than a chest x-ray.
Nuclear Cardiology services at Cardiac Specialists provide a key tool
to the diagnosis and management of adults with heart disease. We provide
a free standing cardiodiagnostic center supervised at all times by one
of our physicians and our staff of nurse practitioners and physician
assistants. The following services are available:
- Exercise and Rest Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (also
called a MIBI, Cardiolyte, Myoview, or Thallium stress tests): The
noninvasive assessment of coronary artery disease via treadmill
stress testing which can detect blockages significant enough to
prevent adequate blood flow to the heart during exercise. These
tests also definitively examine any damage done to the heart from
prior heart attacks and can determine viability of heart muscle
which may return to normal function if appropriately revascularized
(i.e. with angioplasty or bypass surgery.) They also provide a highly
accurate assessment of the contracting performance of your heart
- both regional wall motion and ejection fraction of the left ventricle.
- Pharmacologic Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging
(Adenosine stress test) Uses medications which simulate the
physiologic effect of exercise (instead of exercise) in those
who are unable to perform on a treadmill test. In some cases,
such as in patients with pacemakers or abnormalities on their
electrocardiogram, your doctor may specify a pharmacologic
stress test because it may provide better information. The same
assessment of coronary blood flow and left ventricular function
may then be performed as in the exercise perfusion imaging.
- Radionuclide Ventriculography (also called a RNV or MUGA
test): The noninvasive ability to evaluate the contraction pattern
of your heart. We can determine the left ventricular global and
regional function including calculation of left ventricular ejection
fraction, assessment of regional wall motion, aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms.
|
|
|
