Dayanand Medical College & Hospital

Radiology & Nuclear Medicine

Radiological tests and nuclear medicine studies are conducted to visualize heart function. The following tests are available:

• Cardiolite and thallium imaging: a radioactive element such as thallium is injected and the amount of radioactivity taken up by heart muscle during exercise is determined as a means of assessing blood supply to the heart
• Persantine and dobutamine (for patients who cannot exercise): a test similar to thallium imaging, except that persantine or dobutamine is administered to stimulate the effects of exercise on blood flow in patients who cannot exercise
• Gated wall motion and thickening studies: radiological tests used to assess the thickness of the heart walls and the way they move
• Ejection fraction and volumes: evaluation of the amount of blood ejected during each contraction of the left ventricle of the heart, as well as assessment of the volume of blood flowing through the heart; used to assess heart function
• Cardiac MUGA (multiple gated acquisition): an imaging technology that precisely examines the function of the beating heart