Have a health question? Get reliable answers here.
Q: I have just visited my physician because I frequently have chest pain and he told me that he was going to schedule me for a nuclear stress test. Could you please tell me something about this test?
A: A nuclear stress test is a test which is done to evaluate blood flow in the coronary arteries (which are the arteries supplying the heart with blood). The test is done by first asking the patient to exercise, usually using a treadmill. Once the patient is near his or her peak exercise capabilities or the patient cannot continue because of fatigue or other symptoms, he or she is injected a small dose of a radioactive substance. Standard substances injected include thallium or technetium compounds. Subsequently, an imaging study is done with a nuclear camera. This imaging study done after exercise permits us to evaluate blood flow in the heart following exercise. Subsequently, another injection of a radioactive substance (either the same or another substance) is again performed, following which the patient is again asked to return to perform another imaging study. Analysis of the images so obtained then permits evaluation of blood flow in the heart at rest. Comparison of the images obtained after exercise with the images obtained at rest permit evaluation of blood flow abnormalities. Some of these blood flow defects are not present at rest and become manifest during exercise, while other defects are present both during exercise and at rest. Evaluation of these defects, in conjuction with the clinical presentation, enables the physician to establish whether it might be adequate to treat the patient with medications or whether other studies are needed. The best study to evaluate whether the heart is being adequately supplied with blood is a study referred to as coronary angiography. However, this study has a certain risk, which, although small is, however, not zero. Hence, it should only be performed when absolutely necessary, since undesired complications may occur as a consequence of this study.
Updated: 06/13/99
Click Here to ask a MDAdvice.com doctor your medical question.
