Comprehensive Heart Care With Advanced Imaging
We understand you may have questions about nuclear cardiology tests. Our team at St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Institute is here to help answer your questions and support you every step of the way.
What to Expect From Your Nuclear Cardiology Test
Nuclear cardiology uses advanced imaging technology to see how your heart functions. This noninvasive test helps us diagnose a variety of heart diseases and disorders. We use the results to help ensure you receive the most accurate and effective treatment.
Our compassionate and highly skilled professionals will guide you through the testing process. The most common test, a calcium score heart scan (also known as a coronary calcium score), helps us:
- Identify normal and abnormal blood flow to your heart muscle
- Measure how well your heart muscle pumps blood
- Determine if there is any damage to your heart muscle from a heart attack
Besides the calcium score heart scan, we offer a wide range o f nuclear cardiology tests, including:
- Nuclear stress test (also called a myocardial perfusion imaging exam, a test that lets us view the blood flow through your heart, either while you exercise or after we give you special medication)
- Positron emission tomography scan (PET scan, a test that lets us see if there is decreased blood flow in your heart and, if you’ve had a heart attack, the effects of the heart attack on areas of your heart)
- Equilibrium radionuclide angiogram (ERNA, which lets us view how well your heart’s lower chambers are working)
During your test , we’ll inject a safe radioactive substance into your bloodstream. This substance is called a tracer. The tracer will travel to your heart and release a type of energy called gamma rays. We’ll use special cameras in our lab to detect the gamma rays and use them to create detailed images of your heart.
Our team of cardiologists and radiologists will review your nuclear cardiology test results and provide a comprehensive report to your doctor. This collaborative approach ensures you receive a thorough and accurate diagnosis.