Stress exercise thallium scan
- Stress exercise thallium scan
- A method of examining the heart to obtain information about the blood supply to the heart muscle. Special cameras take a series of pictures of the heart. A radioactive substance is injected into the bloodstream and serves as a tracer. The tracer attaches to certain cells and makes them visible to the special camera. The tracer attaches to the muscle cells of the heart so the imaging camera can take pictures of the heart muscles. If an area of the heart does not receive an adequate flow of blood, the cells in the underserved area do not receive as much tracer and it appears as a darker area on the picture taken by the camera. There are two parts to the stress exercise thallium scan: an exercise part and a rest part. The patient has an IV (intravenous) line placed in the arm, EKG patches are applied to chest and connected to an EKG machine to monitor the heart. Then the patient exercises as hard as possible on the treadmill to give information about how well the heart functions with exercise. One minute before stopping exercise, the tracer, thallium, is injected IV to give the tracer time to circulate through the bloodstream. Then one lies flat on a table with arms above the head. A large imaging camera is brought close to the chest for the first set of scans. This part of the scan lasts about 25 minutes. A second set of pictures is taken approximately 3 hours after the injection. The patient should not eat but can drink fluids that do not contain caffeine. The entire test takes approximately 5 to 6 hours. To prepare for the stress exercise thallium scan, the patient should not drink or eat anything containing caffeine for 24 hours before the test (this includes decaf coffee and chocolate) and should not eat or drink after midnight and not smoke on the day of the test. Most medications are taken as usual; however, one should check in advance with the doctor or nurse. Diabetics also should seek special instructions from the doctor or nurse. The amount of radiation from the scan is no more than from other x-ray tests. However, if there is any chance the patient might be pregnant, she should notify the doctor or nurse before the test is done.
Medical dictionary.
2011.
Look at other dictionaries:
Thallium scan — A method of examining the heart to obtain information about the blood supply to the heart muscle. In the scan, special cameras take a series of pictures of the heart. Radioactive thallium is injected into the bloodstream and serves as a tracer.… … Medical dictionary
Persantine thallium scan — A type of myocardial perfusion scan done to disclose any areas of the heart muscle that may not be getting enough blood to perfuse them properly. Persantine (Diprydamole) is a medication that dilates (widens) the coronary arteries. It produces an … Medical dictionary
Stress testing, radionucleide — This procedure involves injecting a radioactive isotope (typically thallium or cardiolyte) into the patient’s vein after which an image of the patient’s heart becomes visible with a special camera. The radioactive isotopes are absorbed by the… … Medical dictionary
Radionuclide stress testing — This procedure involves injecting a radioactive isotope (typically thallium or cardiolyte) into the patient’s vein after which an image of the patient’s heart becomes visible with a special camera. The radioactive isotopes are absorbed by the… … Medical dictionary
Test, radionucleide stress — This procedure involves injecting a radioactive isotope (typically thallium or cardiolyte) into the patient’s vein after which an image of the patient’s heart becomes visible with a special camera. The radioactive isotopes are absorbed by the… … Medical dictionary
Lung transplantation — Intervention ICD 9 CM 33.5 MeSH … Wikipedia
diagnosis — /duy euhg noh sis/, n., pl. diagnoses / seez/. 1. Med. a. the process of determining by examination the nature and circumstances of a diseased condition. b. the decision reached from such an examination. Abbr.: Dx 2. Biol. scientific… … Universalium
Myocardial infarction — Heart attack redirects here. For other uses, see Heart attack (disambiguation). Myocardial infarction Classification and external resources Diagram of a myocardial infarction (2) of the tip of the anterior wall of the heart (an apical infarct)… … Wikipedia
nervous system disease — Introduction any of the diseases or disorders that affect the functioning of the human nervous system (nervous system, human). Everything that humans sense, consider, and effect and all the unlearned reflexes of the body depend on the… … Universalium
Cardiology diagnostic tests and procedures — Intervention ICD 9 CM 89.4 89.6 … Wikipedia
