Cardiac Perfusion Scan

Cardiolite Stress Test, Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy, Nonexercise stress test, Nuclear Stress Test, Thallium Scan, Thallium/Technetium (Sestamibi) Cardiac Scan

Results

A cardiac perfusion scan measures the amount of blood in your heart muscle at rest and during exercise. Test results are usually available within 1 to 3 days.

Cardiac perfusion scan

Normal:	The radioactive tracer is evenly distributed throughout your heart muscle.
	No areas of abnormal tracer absorption are present.
Abnormal:	Some areas of heart muscle are not getting enough blood (ischemia). This may mean that the heart has been damaged or coronary artery disease is present.
	The heart is enlarged and the left pumping chamber (ventricle) is not working well.

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Author:	Robin Parks, MS	Last Updated: December 24, 2007
Medical Review:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
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