Nuclear Tests help diagnose heart and coronary artery disease by revealing function, as opposed to other tests that simply show the appearance of bodily organs and structures.

Safe and painless, nuclear testing involves the injection of tiny amounts of radioactive substances into the body, which can then be traced with a special camera and analyzed by computer.

Cardiac SPECT (single photon emission computer tomography) is one of these nuclear diagnostic testing tools. Dr. Diego may obtain a cardiac SPECT scan of the heart at rest, and again when the heart is working hard during the stress test. The advantage of a SPECT scan is that it can show blood flow, muscle contraction, and other actions of the functioning heart. Therefore, the doctor can see abnormalities in blood flow or weaknesses where the heart is laboring to pump enough blood.

SPECT allows Dr. Diego to perform the following analyses:

  • to identify blockage or narrowing of the coronary arteries
  • to determine whether a patient has suffered a heart attack in the past
  • to help predict which patients are at risk for heart disease
  • to assess the patient’s response to treatment

A SPECT test uses a radioactive material that is drawn into living heart muscle. The tracer then gives off signals which are picked up by a special camera. These signals are fed into a computer, which converts them into moving images that a doctor or technician can analyze.

SPECT technology is often used with a stress test, which involves having the patient walk on a treadmill or pedal on a stationary bicycle. (If the patient is not strong enough to walk or pedal, the heart may be stimulated pharmacologically with special medication).

In the SPECT scan, dark areas of the heart will indicate areas where the blood flow is impaired; lighter area show where there is good circulation. If the test shows good blood flow (called perfusion) at rest, but not during exercise, it may indicate a blockage in one or more coronary arteries.

Patients who come to the clinic for a SPECT scan are asked to wear loose-fitted clothes (for exercising on the treadmill or bicycle), and to take their usual medications. Patient are also advised to tell the doctor which medications they are taking, as some may interfere with the test.