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Cardiac SPECT perfusion

Cardiac SPECT Perfusion

3-D image of the blood flow and functional status of the heart at rest and stress using Cardiac SPECT perfusion imaging

An evaluation of the blood flow (perfusion) to the walls of your heart. Usually performed using a cardiac stress test.

What to expect

Cardiac SPECT perfusion image showing the blood flow pattern in the walls of the heart at rest and during exercise

You have been scheduled for a diagnostic exam to evaluate the blood supply to your heart. You will receive up to 2 injections of a radioactive tracer that flows in the blood vessels of your heart in order to create 2 images of the blood supply to your heart, one image while resting and a second image after cardiac stress.

A small intravenous catheter will be placed in your arm. Imaging is performed twice, once at rest and a second after cardiac stress. The cardiac stress test is accomplished either by walking/jogging on a treadmill or by using a drug to challenge your heart. In total, the exam will take about 3-4 hours.