CardioSpecialists Group, Ltd.
About Your Nuclear Stress Test
Also called: Thallium Imaging, Radionuclide Stress Test, Myoview, Cardiac Stress Imaging, Thallium Stress Test, Thallium Exercise Scan, Exercise Myocardial Perfusion Imaging, Thallium Treadmill Test
What Is a Nuclear Stress Test?
A nuclear stress test is similar to an exercise stress test, but it is more accurate since it uses SPECT or PET scans in addition to a traditional exercise stress test. It allows your doctor to look at your heart's reaction to stress, either through exercise or with medications. A clearer picture of heart health is given, but the use of radioactive substances during the test prevent physicians from using this as a replacement to exercise stress tests. A radioactive substance, known as an isotope, is injected into the blood, where it travels to the heart. By using a special monitor, your doctor can create a picture of your heart. This test is especially useful if you have suffered from a heart attack, have a blood clot, or have symptoms of coronary artery disease.
A nuclear stress test is not recommended for several groups of people. These include: pregnant women, those with severe heart failure, a recent lung infection, inflammation of the heart, or a narrowing of the aorta.
How Is the Procedure Performed?
Your clothes from the waist up will need to be removed and a hospital gown put on. Sensors for an electrocardiogram (EKG) will be attached to your chest with a cold gel beneath. If you will have a pharmacological stress test you will be given medications to raise your heart rate. Exercise stress tests will require that you walk or jog on a treadmill or ride an exercise bike. You will be injected with a radioactive isotope when your heart rate is high. While your heart is still under stressed, a picture of your heart will be taken with either the PET or the SPECT scan. You will be asked to lie on a table under a gamma camera. This will take images of your heart. Later, after your heart has returned to its normal rate, you will have another resting scan beneath the gamma camera. Your doctor might recommend that you return the following day for your resting scan.
After the Test
You will be able to leave immediately after the test and can return to your daily activities. When the results are evaluated, your doctor will be able to better decide the next course of treatment or prescriptions. Sometimes a false positive appears on the test. If your doctor thinks that another issue is causing this result besides your heart, you might have to have additional testing.
Is It Safe?
The test is generally considered safe, but if you have concerns about the radioactive isotope used in the testing, discuss it with your doctor. Such a small amount of the isotope is used that it does not have any ill effects, but some sensitive individuals might experience a skin rash at the injection site.