Nuclear Stress Test Baytown
Nuclear Stress Test is also known as myocardial perfusion scan, myocardial perfusion imaging, thallium scan or sestamibi cardiac scan.
Dr. Sami will order a nuclear stress test if an exercise treadmill test (ETT) is unable to specify the cause of cardiac symptoms, such as shortness of breath and chest pain.
It measures the amount of blood in the heart muscle at rest and and under stress (either by exercise or medicine).
A radioactive tracer is injected through IV and travels through blood and into the heart muscle.
Areas that have good blood flow absorb the tracer. Areas with decreased blood flow or damage from a heart attack do not absorb the tracer. Two sets of pictures are taken by a specialized camera, resembling an X-Ray machine.
In total, the two portions can take anywhere between 3 and 5 hours.
Dr Sami, a Nuclear Cardiology board-certified physician, compares resting pictures with the stress images.
Nuclear stress test helps Dr Sami to determine:
- Whether chest pain is from narrowings or blockages in coronary (heart) arteries
- If there is any heart damage from a heart attack?
- If a patient needs to undergo a coronary angiogram
- Whether a patient would benefit from coronary stent or bypass surgery
- If a heart procedure (stent, bypass) improved blood flow to the heart
- How well a patient’s heart can handle physical activity
While the test involves the patient being exposed to some amount of radiation, the Nuclear Stress Test is generally considered safe.
Complications are rare and may include:
- Allergic reactions to the radioactive dye
- Arrhythmias caused by the exertion or medication. It goes away gradually once you stop the exercise or the medication wears off.
- Heart attack. This is extremely rare.
- Chest pains or flushing.
Contact Us Today:
To learn more about the Nuclear Stress Test for yourself or a loved one, or if you have been advised by your doctor to get a nuclear stress test, make an appointment for an evaluation with Dr. Sami.
Our main office is located at 6051 Garth Road, Suite 300, Baytown, TX 77521. Or you may contact us at 281-839-7949 to set up an appointment.