Nuclear Imaging For Heart Disease (PET scans, MUGA scans)

Nuclear imaging evaluates how organs function, unlike other imaging methods that assess how organs appear. Small amounts of a radioactive solution that is safe and has no side effects are introduced into the body. A special camera detects the solution in different parts of the body and a computer generates a series of images of the areas of interest.

Cardiac SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) scans also called myocardial perfusion imaging are non-invasive tests that are used to assess the heart's structure and function. SPECT scans use small amounts of radioactive substances that are injected into a vein and special cameras to produce images of the heart. These pictures are used to assess blood flow to the heart muscle and to detect areas of decreased flow due to blockages in the heart's arteries.

Information obtained from SPECT scans can be used to:

Identify blockages in the coronary arteries
Determine whether someone has had a heart attack
Try to predict those at high risk for a heart attack
assess a patient's condition after bypass surgery or angioplasty

A MUGA (Multiple Gated Acquisition) Scan – also called radionuclide angiography (RNA) – is a test that is used to evaluate heart function by measuring how much blood is pumped out of the ventricles of the heart with each heartbeat (ejection fraction). A small amount of a safe radioactive tracer solution is introduced into a vein. This substance attaches to red blood cells, which are visualized by a special camera and computer as they travel through the heart, and the ejection fraction is calculated based on the computer-generated images.

PET (Positron Emission Tomography) is a type of nuclear imaging that can evaluate heart function. PET scans can be used to look for coronary artery disease by examining how blood flows through the heart; it can evaluate damage to heart tissue after a heart attack. Your physician can use this information to determine the best course of treatment for you.

NewYork-Presbyterian also offers nuclear stress testing, also called a myocardial perfusion scan. This nuclear medicine procedure is used to look for blockages inside the coronary arteries. It uses a tiny amount of a radioactive substance, called a radionuclide, is injected through an intravenous catheter to evaluate the heart's function and blood flow. The test shows the blood flow to the heart muscle when it is stressed by exercise or medication, and determines what areas of the heart have decreased blood flow. Any areas of the heart that have blocked or partially blocked arteries will be seen on the scans as "cold spots," or "defects," because these areas will be unable to absorb the radionuclide into the heart.

Last Modified: 07/02/2009