Types Of Tests We Offer
- Treadmill Exercise Test
- Exercise Stress Test with Echocardiography
- Exercise Stress Test with Nuclear Perfusion Imaging, including SPECT imaging
Exercise Stress Tests
An exercise stress test is a test that checks for changes in the electrical activities of the heart while one exercises on the treadmill. In the case of certain heart disease like coronary artery disease (blockage of arteries in the heart), the test can assist in detection of the disease. Sometimes EKG abnormalities can be seen only during exercise. This test is sometimes called a “stress test” or a “treadmill test”.
The duration of exercise on the treadmill also helps the doctor determine the functional capacity of the patient. This has important prognostic implications.
Nuclear Stress Test
A cardiac perfusion scan measures the amount of blood in the heart muscle at rest and during exercise. It is often done to find out what may be causing chest pain. It may be done to check if areas of the heart are not getting enough blood or to find out how much heart muscle has been damaged from a heart attack.
During the scan, a camera takes pictures of the heart after a special test medicine, radioisotope is given through an IV. The tracer travels through the blood and into the heart muscle. As the tracer moves through the heart muscle, areas that have good blood flow absorb the tracer. Areas that do not absorb tracer may not be getting enough blood or may have been damaged by a heart attack.