NUCLEAR IMAGING
These imaging studies can be performed at North Suffolk Cardiology at your physician’s request. The results are discussed with the patient on the day of the study, and complete reports are forwarded to the referring physician within 24 hours. The Nuclear Cardiology Laboratory at NSCA is accredited by the InterSocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine and Nuclear Cardiology Laboratories.
Over the past 25 years, a distinct role for nuclear cardiology patient management has evolved, and today nuclear cardiology has become a vital source for the confident and noninvasive determination of the presence, localization and severity of coronary artery disease. Nuclear cardiology employs a noninvasive technique to evaluate myocardial blood flow, assessment of the pumping function of the heart and reveals the localization size of insufficient coronary blood flow (ischemia) or previous area of irreversible injury (myocardial infarction). Myocardial perfusion imaging is combined with another diagnostic technique called the stress test, which allows for the assessment of blood flow to the heart muscle. The stress test can be performed employing several methods such as walking on a treadmill, riding a stationary bicycle or combined with a “chemical” test and slow treadmill walk. The “chemical” stress test is most often performed at our facility with Adenosine or Dobutamine in case there are patients who are not able to exercise (orthopedic disease or chronic lung disease, etc.). A small amount of radioactive material in the form of an imaging agent is used as a tracer (thallium or tetrofosmin-Myoview) and injected into an intravenous line during rest and again during exercise or chemical stress. A gamma camera (SPECT scanner) is a scanning device used to evaluate the physiological uptake by the heart muscle of the tracer in proportion to blood flow. Stress and rest images are acquired and compared, and if there is an apparent decrease in coronary blood flow on the stress study (exercise or chemical) images and no decrease on the rest images, our cardiologist may then determine if there is significant blockage of a coronary artery. Based on these findings, other diagnostic and therapeutic options can then be considered.
Patients are asked to adhere to instructions given to them at the time they book their stress test appointment. These instructions are extremely important since they do increase the accuracy of the study. Patients will be asked to fast for six hours prior to the study, and avoid caffeine for 24 hours prior to the study. They will be asked to wear comfortable clothes and shoes for exercising and imaging. These studies will usually require approximately 4 to 6 hours.
Over the past 25 years, a distinct role for nuclear cardiology patient management has evolved, and today nuclear cardiology has become a vital source for the confident and noninvasive determination of the presence, localization and severity of coronary artery disease. Nuclear cardiology employs a noninvasive technique to evaluate myocardial blood flow, assessment of the pumping function of the heart and reveals the localization size of insufficient coronary blood flow (ischemia) or previous area of irreversible injury (myocardial infarction). Myocardial perfusion imaging is combined with another diagnostic technique called the stress test, which allows for the assessment of blood flow to the heart muscle. The stress test can be performed employing several methods such as walking on a treadmill, riding a stationary bicycle or combined with a “chemical” test and slow treadmill walk. The “chemical” stress test is most often performed at our facility with Adenosine or Dobutamine in case there are patients who are not able to exercise (orthopedic disease or chronic lung disease, etc.). A small amount of radioactive material in the form of an imaging agent is used as a tracer (thallium or tetrofosmin-Myoview) and injected into an intravenous line during rest and again during exercise or chemical stress. A gamma camera (SPECT scanner) is a scanning device used to evaluate the physiological uptake by the heart muscle of the tracer in proportion to blood flow. Stress and rest images are acquired and compared, and if there is an apparent decrease in coronary blood flow on the stress study (exercise or chemical) images and no decrease on the rest images, our cardiologist may then determine if there is significant blockage of a coronary artery. Based on these findings, other diagnostic and therapeutic options can then be considered.
Patients are asked to adhere to instructions given to them at the time they book their stress test appointment. These instructions are extremely important since they do increase the accuracy of the study. Patients will be asked to fast for six hours prior to the study, and avoid caffeine for 24 hours prior to the study. They will be asked to wear comfortable clothes and shoes for exercising and imaging. These studies will usually require approximately 4 to 6 hours.