Nuclear Medicine

A nuclear stress test is an imaging test that shows how blood goes to the heart at rest and during exercise. It uses a small amount of radioactive material, called a radiotracer. The substance is given by IV. An imaging machine takes pictures of how the tracer moves through the heart arteries. This helps find areas of poor blood flow or damage in the heart.
If you have coronary artery disease, a nuclear stress test can help your health care provider learn your risk of a heart attack or other heart event.

Here’s a brief overview of the procedure :

Radiopharmaceutical Injection: A small amount of a radioactive tracer is injected into the bloodstream.

Rest Imaging: Images of the heart at rest are taken using a gamma camera that detects the radioactive signals emitted by the tracer. This provides information about the blood flow to the heart muscle under resting conditions.

Stress Imaging The patient is then subjected to stress, either through exercise on a treadmill or through medication that simulates the effects of exercise on the heart. More images are taken during this stress phase to evaluate blood flow to the heart during increased demand.

Image Comparison The rest and stress images are compared to identify any areas of the heart muscle that may have reduced blood flow during stress, which could indicate coronary artery disease.

Why Should I Do it ?

• This test may be done if you are being treated for heart disease or you have symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath.