What is cardiac blood pool imaging?

A cardiac blood pool scan shows how well your heart is pumping blood to the rest of your body. During this test, a small amount of a radioactive substance called a tracer is injected into a vein. A gamma camera detects the radioactive material as it flows through the heart and lungs.

What does blood pool mean?

Blood pooling occurs when the blood is unable to pump back up to your heart, and pools (or collects) in your legs, ankles, and/or feet. Blood pooling in feet and legs can happen due to a number of different issues. You are more likely to experience blood pooling if you: Are overweight. Are pregnant.

Is a MUGA scan more accurate than an echocardiogram?

Although MUGA scans provide a more precise measure of EF compared with an echocardiogram, each method has advantages and disadvantages. (See Pros and Cons of an Echocardiogram vs. a MUGA Scan.)

How is gated blood pool imaging used in cardiology?

GATED BLOOD POOL Imaging is a dynamic computer acquisition and electrophysiologic gating to the heartbeat of the patient. We obtain a series of images over several hundred beats displayed as a continuous cine loop.

When to use a cardiac blood pool scan?

The cardiac blood pool scan is a safe and accurate way to determine overall heart function. Multigated acquisition (MUGA) scans are routinely used before and after receiving a heart transplant to assess how well the heart is working. MUGA also may be used to monitor the ejection fraction in people receiving chemotherapy.

How is the gated equilibrium study different from the first pass?

The gated equilibrium study differs from the first pass technique in that data are collected continuously over hundreds of cardiac cycles. These data are then summed for discrete intervals of each cycle- to give an average, representative picture of the patient’s cardiac function.

What are the CPT codes for cardiac blood pool imaging?

Cardiac blood pool imaging: There are two types of studies: first pass studies and equilibrium studies. First pass Studies (CPT codes 78481 and 78483) First pass studies utilize rapidly acquired images of a bolus of a radiopharmaceutical agent as it moves through the heart.