Nuclear Cardiology
Nuclear Cardiology is the branch
of clinical cardiology that performs noninvasive tests, utilizing
small amounts of radioactive material to evaluate the heart. The
small amount of radioactive substances used are called tracers. They
allow your cardiologist to evaluate you for the presence of heart
disease. The radioactive substance is injected into a vein and
will for a short time adhere to the heart muscle. The amount of
material present in the heart is detected by a special camera. This
camera is termed a "Gamma Camera" and is in essence a
technologically sophisticated "geiger counter." The images that it
produces can let your doctor know how well your heart is functioning
and if any area of the heart is not getting enough blood. Lack of
blood flow to areas of the heart may indicate that there are
narrowed parts in the coronary arteries or possible problems with
the heart muscle itself.
Nuclear Cardiac Images
The images produced by the nuclear
imaging study show the muscle of the heart in different colors.
These different colors correlate to the different areas of the heart
and the amount of blood that area is receiving. By comparing images
of the heart at rest and when it is beating fast (under stress) doctors can assess the change in blood flow to a particular area, which may indicate the presence of coronary artery disease.
Nuclear Stress
Testing is the most common nuclear cardiology exam
done
today throughout the country. The exam may be requested by your
cardiologist for many different
reasons. Indications for nuclear
stress testing include:
-
Evaluation of chest
pain
-
Assessment and Prognosis of cardiovascular disease
-
Evaluation of
therapy
-
Screening for latent
coronary disease
-
Early detection of
labile hypertension
-
Evaluation of
congestive heart failure
-
Pre-participation
examination for sports
-
Evaluation of
congenital heart disease
