Images of the heart are acquired when the heart is in a baseline resting state and again after the heart has been exercised or stressed images are taken using specialized cameras gamma or. A nuclear stress test is a minimally invasive diagnostic imaging procedure designed to evaluate the perfusion of blood through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle. The pictures from the perfusion study let us look at the blood flow in the arteries leading to your heart and also how well the heart is beating.
Nuclear imaging procedures identify abnormalities very early in the progress of a disease often before other diagnostic tests can identify the same problems and before serious symptoms occur. The advantage of assessing the function of an organ is that it helps physicians make a diagnosis and plan treatments for the part of. The main difference between nuclear medicine imaging and other radiologic tests is that nuclear medicine imaging evaluates how organs function whereas other imaging methods assess anatomy how the organs look.
Different types of nuclear imaging tests have different preparation instructions. The images are recorded on computer and on film. Nuclear imaging produces images by detecting radiation from different parts of the body after a radioactive tracer material is administered.
Actual scanning time for nuclear imaging exams can take from 20 minutes to several hours and may be conducted over several days. The length of time for nuclear medicine procedures varies greatly depending on the type of exam. Other nuclear medicine tests measure radioactivity levels in blood urine or breath.
This helps determine the amount of exercise that s appropriate for you during the test. First your doctor will ask you some questions about your medical history and how often and strenuously you exercise. Before a nuclear stress test.
A nuclear stress test can take two or more hours depending on the radioactive material and imaging tests used. It can also assess how well your heart pumps blood to your body. The test can detect problems with blood flow in the heart tissue and can diagnose ischemic heart disease.
A nuclear heart scan is an imaging test that uses special cameras and a radioactive substance called a tracer to create pictures of your heart.
