Nuclear Imaging

Nuclear imaging measures the amount of blood flow to your heart. In a nuclear imaging test, a small amount of radioactive liquid, called a tracer, is injected into your bloodstream and flows to the coronary arteries. A nuclear imaging test may be performed while you are resting, after exercise stress, or after pharmacologic stress to measure changes in blood flow. As you lie on an exam table, a special camera moves over your chest and takes pictures of the tracer as it moves through your coronary arteries and into your heart. If there is a blockage in your coronary arteries, your heart may not get enough blood. The nuclear imaging pictures are designed to show coronary artery blood flow problems and damage to your heart muscle. Since this test exposes you to a small amount of radiation, tell your healthcare provider if you think you might be pregnant before taking this test.

Single-photon emission computed tomography, or SPECT, is one type of nuclear imaging. In SPECT, a special camera is used to image the blood flow to your heart, showing the changes between flow when you are at rest and flow after exercise or pharmacologic stress.

Positron emission tomography, or PET, is a nuclear imaging test that shows the amount of blood flow to your heart as well as some other aspects of heart function. PET provides high-quality images and is a shorter procedure than other types of nuclear imaging.