cardiac myocardial perfusion scan?… by Carol
I am waiting to have it done any one had one and whats it like and how long did you have to wait on the list i have been waiting since june this year.need your personal experience please.
suffer from bad chest pains on medication had all the other tests done.
its the test they inject radioactive isotope into the blood.
Best Answer:
This is a test where they measure the blood flow in the heart, which will generally provide the information necessary to determine if there are any blockages in your coronary arteries. The test you describe is more commonly referred to as a nuclear stress test. You will be injected with a substance called cardiolite, wait about 30 minutes while this gets into your blood stream, and they will then take pictures scan your hearts blood flow while it is at rest. You will then be hooked up to a 12 lead EKG monitor and do an exercised stress test on a treadmill. This portion of the test is brief, just long enough until you reach your target heart rate which is 220 minus you age, and your target heart rate will be 85% of that sum. Once you have achieved your target heart rate, you will be injected with another dose of cardiolite, wait another 30 minutes, and then they will take another set of pictures, this time being while your heart has been stressed on the treadmill. It gives the doctors good diagnosic information to determine if you have any issues which need to be addressed concerning blockages in your coranary arteries. It is non-invasive and provides a wealth of useful information. Why you have had to wait since June is beyond me, this is a very common test in the US. You should not have any side effects from the test, and you should find that it is not a terribly unpleasant experience. And if you can't get on the treadmill for some reason, they can due the stress test with a drug that artificially temporarily increases blood flow in your heart and increases your heart rate for the stress set of pictures. The drug they use for this is adeonoscan, and most people do not have an adverse reaction. However, if you have astma they will use a drug called dobutimene, which frequently does have very short term unpleasant side effects. But if you are not astmatic, I don't anticipate that you will have any problem with the adenoscan. Not to worry, this test is well worth having if you have indications that may indicate heart problems. Feel free to email me if you would like further info. Keep in mind that many peoples tests come back completely normal, and even if they do find something wrong, the advances made in medicine will leave you with a suitable alternative for treatment that should enable you to live a long and healthy life. Best of luck to you
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