Heart Imaging

Types of imaging tests

We use a variety of imaging tests to determine what’s happening with your heart, including:

• Cardiac MRI – This is a test that uses a large magnet, radio signals, and a computer to make images of organs and body tissues. In this case, the heart is imaged.
• Coronary CT scan, including 64-slice CT scans and coronary CT angiography – This heart-imaging test uses computed tomography, or CT technology, to reveiw the heart’s anatomy, circulation, and vessels.
• Echocardiogram (ECHO), including 3-D echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) – This test uses a microphone-like instrument to send out sound waves at a high frequency, allowing the waves to bounce or "echo" off of the heart structures. These sound waves are sent to a computer that can create moving images of the heart walls and valves.
• Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) – This test uses electrodes, or small, plastic patches that stick to the skin, to measure the electrical activity of the heart. As your heart naturally beats, our machine records them to show how fast the heart is beating, the rhythm of the heart beats, and the strength and timing. Changes in an ECG can be a sign of many heart-related conditions.
• Nuclear cardiac imaging, including nuclear stress tests, PET scans and resting radionuclide angiogram – This test uses tiny amounts of radioactive materials to examine your heart function and structure. This test can identify abnormal blood flow to the heart and determine the extent of the damage of the heart muscle after a heart attack, and/or to measure heart function.