Myocardial perfusion scan
This is a type of nuclear scanning test or myocardial perfusion imaging test. It shows how well blood flows to the heart muscle. It's usually done along with an exercise stress test on a treadmill or bicycle.
The thallium stress test is useful to determine:
- Extent of a coronary artery blockage
- Prognosis of patients who've suffered a heart attack
- Effectiveness of cardiac procedures done to improve circulation in coronary arteries
- Cause(s) of chest pain
- Level of exercise that a patient can safely perform
When the patient reaches his or her maximum level of exercise, a small amount of a radioactive substance called thallium is injected into the bloodstream. Then the patient lies down on a special table under a camera ("gamma camera") that can see the thallium and make pictures. The thallium mixes with the blood in the bloodstream and heart's arteries and enters heart muscle cells. If a part of the heart muscle doesn't receive a normal blood supply, less than a normal amount of thallium will be in those heart muscle cells.
Department of Nuclear Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara
Clinicians from the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara
