The cardiologists most important resource is the stress test when a diagnosis needs to be made to look for heart disease of any kind. Doctors, looking to achieve the best results, must work with highly trained technicians while performing the stress test. There are different types of stress tests and each one has very specific requirements. In addition to the tests themselves having a significant impact on how reliable the diagnosis is but the conditions in which the test was given do as well. One thing doctors want to discover is just how much stress the heart can take before it impacts the behavior or functioning of the heart. The exercise stress test is seen more than others, although each one has their particular application best suited to them.
One radioactive compound used in nuclear stress tests is Thallium. You have to remember that there is no danger to the body because very small amounts are used. Thallium’s radioactive levels also decrease over time and it is quickly eliminated from the body via natural means.
However, Thallium is the compound that permits doctors to recreate an accurate image of the size of your heart’s chambers. A doctor can use these images to determine how healthy your heart is as well as other pertinent data. In addition, doctors will gain insights into the ability of the heart to pump blood. Doctors can also determine if there is any heart damage based on these images.
The Isotope stress test a regular form of stress test. The word isotope, in the case of this test, represents certain low-level radioactive chemicals. Another general term of the isotope stress test is nuclear stress test. Thallium can be one of the isotopes.
Combinations of nuclear isotopes used in these tests are known under various trade names, including Cardiolite and Myoview. These tests are also differentiated according to the method employed, which is why they have different names, such as the dual isotope stress test. Doctors can easily tell which parts of the heart are damaged because the healthy parts absorb higher levels of radioactive material and this is clearly visible in the image.
Various factors can influence the reliability of the isotope stress test.
For example, a target heart rate must be attained, and of course the image quality must be sufficient. If all these conditions are satisfied then a doctor can diagnose the situation reliably in 85% of coronary artery disease patients. Thus, there is no full guarantee of an accurate diagnosis and as you can see there are other contributing factors. An accurate diagnosis can also be affected by many other problems including false positives.
As you can see, there are numerous uses for the cardiac stress test. Your cardiologist is the best choice for figuring out your specific needs. It is also of the utmost importance to be aware that all tests have limitations and this also refers to the cardiac stress test. For example, tons relies on the circumstances that should be optimal like getting a wonderful heat rate. Stress tests with pictures rely on the quality of the pictures. There are also a lot of natural things that can be a problem for image quality too.
