A Nuclear Pharmacologic Cardiac stress test helps diagnose coronary artery disease or identifies areas of the heart that lack an adequate blood supply to narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. Coronary arteries are located on the outside of the heart and bring oxygen rich blood to the heart muscle. Your physician has determined that you are unable to exercise adequately on a treadmill or a stationary bicycle. Regadenoson (lexiscan) is a medication that dilates the coronary arteries to produce an effect similar to what happens when you exercise. Regadenoson (lexiscan) is infused (over 20 seconds) through a vein in the arm while resting. The Radiopharmaceutical (a radioactive tracer) travels in the blood stream to the heart where it is picked up by the heart muscle. Areas of the heart muscle that lack an adequate blood supply pick up the tracer very slowly or not at all. The tracer emits a small amount of radioactivity that will be detected by a special scanning camera later in Radiology. This session will last about 15 minutes.
If the area of the heart muscle receives less blood supply than the rest of the heart muscle because of narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, the scan will show less tracer in that area of the heart muscle. The scan helps the physician determine areas of the heart muscle that do not receive enough blood supply.
For more information call 802-257-8256.