Nuclear Cardiology in the Investigation of Chronic Coronary Artery Disease
Which Test and When?
- Myron C. Gerson, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
NUCLEAR cardiology offers the clinician several noninvasive methods to aid in the diagnosis and management of chronic coronary artery disease (CAD). Applications of nuclear cardiology in the exercise laboratory can be classified into two broad categories: (1) studies to predict the presence or absence of angiographically important CAD and (2) studies to quantitate the anatomical extent or functional importance of CAD. At present, evidence of ischemia related to functionally important CAD is commonly demonstrated in the nuclear cardiology laboratory in the form of exercise-induced, abnormal myocardial perfusion demonstrated by intravenous administration of thallium chloride Tl 201 or in the form of exercise-induced, abnormal left ventricular contraction demonstrated by technetium blood-pool imaging. Intervention with various pharmacologic agents, isometric exercise, rapid atrial pacing, and stimulation with cold represent alternate methods for evaluation of cardiac perfusion and function in patients who are unable to undergo vigorous dynamic stress.
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267 (Dr Gerson).
