Myocardial Perfusion Scan - Cardiolite Study

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Your physician has requested a myocardial perfusion scan (cardiac stress test), which will help to evaluate your heart muscle blood flow during stress or exercise. Please note that our camera systems have a weight limit of 500 pounds. If you weigh over this amount, we will be unable to perform this study, and you will need to contact your physician to schedule another type of study. Please read thoroughly the directions below regarding your study.

Approximate test time 4 hours.

What you should do to assure a safe, efficient and successful stress test

1. Plan to be in the Nuclear Medicine Department approximately 4 hours.
2. Shoes: Comfortable walking shoes or tennis shoes.
3. Clothes: Loose fitting exercise (sport) clothes. (Do not wear underwire brassiere or girdle)
4. Food:
   1. No caffeine (coffee, tea, and chocolate - contains caffeine), alcohol, or tobacco within 24 hours before test.
   2. No intake of solids or liquids (except water) after the midnight preceding the date of examination. (No breakfast, hydration is encouraged, you may drink water before your test)
5. Medications: May be continued or selectively withheld prior to the test.
   1. Your Doctor will inform you of which medications to withhold prior to the study.
6. Please allow plenty of time for traffic delays or parking delays.
7. Please report to registration to register.
8. After registration report to the Medical imaging reception desk and check in. You will then be escorted to Nuclear Medicine.
9. An intravenous catheter will be started and a short history will be taken.
10. The test will then be explained to you and any questions you may have will be answered.

Exercise Myocardial Perfusion Test Procedure

After the intravenous catheter has been started and your questions have been answered a small amount of Technetium-99m - Sestamibi will be injected to evaluate your heart during resting conditions. Approximately thirty minutes after your first injection, you will lie on a table and a camera will take pictures of your heart while at rest. This portion of the exam will take approximately 20 minutes. After this, you will be exercised at a walk or possible run on a treadmill with increasing levels of exercise until your cardiologist stops the exercise or you can not go further. Your cooperation in exercising to your maximum ability will help you and your doctor obtain the very best possible study. Just prior to completion of the exercise study, a second radioactive injection, this time containing a small amount of Technetium-99m-Sestamibi will he injected through the intravenous line. The radiation exposure is similar to that of a regular chest x-ray and you should have no side effects. You will be monitored throughout the exercise test by a Cardiologist, and a registered nurse and electrical heart tracing (ECG). Thirty minutes after the exercise study is completed, we you will return to Nuclear Medicine, where you will lie on a table and a camera will take pictures of your heart during the next 20 minutes. The technician will notify you when your pictures are completed. On completion of the procedure a Radiologist will read the Nuclear Medicine portion of your exam and the results will be sent to your physician. The cardiologist will read the excersize portion of the study

Pharmacologic Myocardial Perfusion Test Procedure

The test procedure is similar to the exercise test except that instead of walking on the treadmill, your heart will be "exercised" with an injection of a medication, which will chemically stress the heart. This medication will be persantine or dobutamine. These medications may change depending on your personal medical condition. The remainder of the test is similar to the procedure described in the "Exercise Myocardial Perfusion Test Procedure".

Note: Inpatients will be transported to Nuclear Medicine for testing.