Why would a cardiologist order a nuclear stress test?

The test is done to see if your heart muscle is getting enough blood flow and oxygen when it is working hard (under stress). Your provider may order this test to find out: How well a treatment (medicines, angioplasty, or heart surgery) is working. If you are at high risk for heart disease or complications.

Does a nuclear stress test show heart disease?

Diagnose coronary artery disease. If you have symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath, a nuclear stress test can help determine if you have coronary artery disease and how severe the condition is.

Does a nuclear stress test show blocked arteries?

The test can show the size of the heart’s chambers, how well the heart is pumping blood, and whether the heart has any damaged or dead muscle. Nuclear stress tests can also give doctors information about your arteries and whether they might be narrowed or blocked because of coronary artery disease.

How accurate is a nuclear heart stress test?

The test also has an estimated 85 percent accuracy rate in determining whether any of a patient’s major coronary vessels, namely the arteries supplying the heart with oxygen, blood and nutrients, is significantly blocked.

What happens if you fail a nuclear stress test?

An abnormal result, which means your heart’s blood flow is insufficient, may occur only during the exercise phase of your stress test. During rest, your blood flow may be normal, but during strenuous activity, when your heart is working harder, it may not be getting the blood supply it needs.

Can u drive after a nuclear stress test?

While you are walking on the treadmill, a second small amount of Myoview is administered. Following the treadmill test, there is another waiting period followed by a second imaging scan. If you are an outpatient, you will be permitted to drive after your test is completed.

What you can expect to happen during a nuclear stress test?

Although extremely rare, it’s possible that a nuclear stress test could cause a heart attack. Dizziness or chest pain. These symptoms can occur during a stress test. Other possible signs and symptoms include nausea, shakiness, headache, flushing, shortness of breath and anxiety.

How accurate are nuclear stress tests?

If a patient has blockage of the blood flow to the heart or if they’ve had a heart attack in the past, it will show up,” says Mieres. Nuclear stress tests are 90% accurate, compared with exercise stress tests, which are about 75% accurate for men and just over 60% accurate for women.

What are the different types of nuclear stress tests?

Images are taken using specialized cameras ( gamma or SPECT cameras) and radioactive tracers. Patients can be “stressed” by physical exercise, pharmacologically, or a combination of both. Other names for a nuclear stress test include cardiac stress test, myocardial perfusion imaging, cardiac SPECT scan, and thallium stress test.

How painful is a nuclear stress test?

The nuclear stress test is not painful. The pin prick sensation for injecting the dye is just the pain part.