What Is A THALLIUM, SESTAMIBI or MYOVIEW Stress Test?
Although treadmill testing is believable, it does have its limitations and some patients will not be properly diagnosed as either having or not having coronary artery disease. In addition, the EKG and blood pressure changes are not specific in quantitating how much muscle is suffering or exactly where in the heart the suffering is occurring. By injecting radioactive material (such as Thallium, Sestamibi or Myoview) during a stress test, and comparing these images to those taken when the patient is at rest, your doctor is better able to make the right diagnosis and be more accurate as to the location and size of the blockage problem. Also, distinctions can be made with these techniques to differentiate living muscle from scarred/dead muscle (as in a previous heart attack). Generally these tests require 3-4 hours of your time, including 2 injections of radioactive material and 2 cycles of lying under a scanner, as well as one stress test. Another means of assessing the same information i
