Nuclear Cardiac Imaging
A cardiac nuclear medicine exam is used to study the structure and function
of the heart. Blood vessels of the heart are best studied by watching
the change in blood flow due to exercise. Therefore you will undergo a
stress test - either through physical exercise or by a drug that simulates
exercise - to make your heart work harder than normal. You will then be
given a radioactive compound, called a tracer. The tracer will collect
in your heart muscle and will emit gamma rays, which the gamma camera
detects. A computer will then produce pictures of the heart by means of
the detected gamma rays.
What to Expect
The combination stress/rest exam may be performed in one day or on two
separate days. For the resting portion, a small amount of tracer will
be injected into a vein in your arm. After a 45-minute wait, imaging of
your heart will be performed with a gamma camera while you are lying on
your back with your arms above your head.
For the stress portion of the exam, electrodes will be attached to your
chest to monitor your heart activity during the stress test. You will
walk on a treadmill for a few minutes or, if you are unable to exercise,
you will be given a drug that will simulate exercise. A physician will
monitor your ECG and your blood pressure.
A second dose of the tracer is given when the blood flow to the heart
is at peak stress level. The tracer will collect in your heart within
the following 45 minutes. The gamma camera will then be used to obtain
more pictures. You will need to lie very still during that part of the
exam, which takes about 20 minutes. A comparison of the images is done
to conclude whether or not blood flow to your heart has changed between
the resting and stress states, and to check for heart disease.
The entire exam will take approximately three hours if done in one day.
Often, the study is scheduled as a two-day exam.
Side Effects/Follow-Up Care
Side effects and complications
No adverse or allergic reactions are associated with the tracer used during
the exam. You may notice some minor discomfort from the intravenous (IV)
injection. If you are given a medication to increase blood flow instead
of exercising, you may briefly feel dizzy, queasy, shaky or short of breath.
On rare occasions when the side effects of the drug are too severe, other
drugs can be administered to immediately counteract the effects. Patients
who are pregnant or nursing an infant should speak to the referring physician
before scheduling the appointment.
Follow-up care
Most patients can resume normal activities right away. The radioactivity
in your body will decrease over time as the tracer material passes out
of the body in the urine or stools.
Locations​
Locations where Hoag provides Nuclear Cardiac Imaging services