Nuclear stress testing is a test that produces images of the heart following a small injection of a radioactive material. There is usually a "stress" component of the test as well. This will either be an injection or involve walking on a treadmill. This test will assess the function of your heart muscle and the blood perfusion to your heart. The most likely candidates for nuclear cardiology are patients who have single or multiple risk factors for coronary artery disease. These risks include but are not limited to: chest pain, shortness of breath, hypertension, positive family history, abnormal ECG's, and high cholesterol.

Cardiovascular Associates’ nuclear cardiology lab is accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Labs (ICANL). We offer both exercise and non-exercise (Adenosine or Dobutamine) nuclear stress tests. A physician who has had special training in the interpretation of nuclear cardiology images analyzes and interprets your test.

Nuclear Testing is useful in the following situations:

• To determine whether poor blood flow (often called ischemia) is present in a person experiencing chest pain.
• To evaluate the location and amount of permanent damage that may have been caused by a heart attack.
• To diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD).
• To help determine whether a person with CAD should be treated with angioplasty or bypass surgery.
• To check for adequate blood flow to the heart after cardiac catheterization, heart bypass surgery, angioplasty, atherectomy, or if you received a medication to dissolve a clot (thrombolytic therapy).
• To estimate the risk of surgery (other than heart surgery) that may cause a cardiac complication (often called pre-operation clearance)
• To diagnose and evaluate congenital heart defects. These scans may also be done following a surgery that corrected a congenital heart defect.

What does this test evaluate?