Electrocardiogram ECG or EKG:
Your doctor may suggest you get an electrocardiogram - also called an EKG or ECG - to check for signs of heart disease. It's a test that records the electrical activity of your ticker through small electrode patches that a technician attaches to the skin of your chest, arms, and legs.
ECGs are quick, safe, and painless.
Besides the standard EKG, your doctor may recommend other kinds:
- Holter monitor.
- Event recorder.
An echocardiogram (sometimes just called ‘echo’) is a non-invasive imaging test using ultrasound to look at your heart. It is used to gain information regarding the structure and function of the heart muscles, chambers of the heart and structures within the heart such as the valves.
Cardic CT, CTCA:
A Cardiac CT is a scan of the heart and its blood vessels (coronary arteries) using a CT scanner. |
A CT scanner uses x-rays (radiation) to produce the scan, providing very detailed images. These images can detect early signs of heart disease, otherwise known as Coronary Heart Disease.
Nuclear myocardial perfusion scan:
A bubble contrast echocardiogram uses imaging ultrasound combined with an injection of microbubble contrast to help determine additional information, such as, whether you have any holes in the heart.