Nuclear Cardiology

Nuclear Cardiology services offered in Miami Beach, Aventura and Miami, FL

Nuclear cardiology uses state-of-the-art technology to produce unrivaled images of your heart and its functions. At Nader Cardiology in Miami Beach, Florida, Ralph Nader, MD, and Adam Nader, MD, use nuclear cardiology to provide valuable diagnostic information and assess your heart’s function. To find out more and benefit from advanced nuclear cardiology imaging, call Nader Cardiology today or book an appointment online.

Nuclear Cardiology Q&A

What is nuclear cardiology?

Nuclear cardiology involves using tiny amounts of radiotracers or radiopharmaceuticals (radioactive materials) to diagnose and treat heart conditions.

Nuclear cardiology is nonsurgical and noninvasive. Many nuclear cardiology procedures involve having an intravenous injection (one into a vein that delivers the radiotracers into your blood).

The radioactive materials in the tracer gather in the area your cardiologist is interested in, and the gamma rays they give off show up on a special camera. The camera connects to a computer that displays images of the area for your cardiologist to view.

Why would I need to undergo a nuclear cardiology procedure?

Your cardiologist might need you to complete a nuclear cardiology study to help them diagnose problems such as:

Unexplained chest pain or heart failure.
Chest pain that occurs with exercise
Shortness of breath during physical activity
Abnormal electrocardiogram results
Cardiac toxicities from chemotherapy
Causes of cardiomyopathies such as ATTR amyloid.
Cardiac function also called Ejection Fraction which is very useful clinically

Nuclear cardiology helps your cardiologist see the pattern of blood flow in your heart’s walls and enables them to evaluate coronary artery disease (CAD). Nuclear cardiology is also useful for determining the extent of any heart damage after a heart attack.

Using the results of your nuclear cardiology procedure, your cardiologist can assess how well revascularization procedures (treatments that restore blood supply to your heart) are working.

Another reason for having a nuclear cardiology procedure is to perform cardiac gating. This test evaluates overall heart function and the heart wall’s movement by combining nuclear cardiology with an electrocardiogram (EKG).

Are there different kinds of nuclear cardiology?

Nader Cardiology uses several types of nuclear cardiology or nuclear scintigraphy procedures, including:

Lexiscan™/Regadenoson CARDIAC PET-CT

Cardiac PET-CT combines nuclear medicine images with PET (positron emission tomography) and CT to produces a detailed scan that enables your cardiologist to deliver a more precise diagnosis with high sensitivity and specific to detected coronary artery disease (CAD).

Cardiac PET scan is the gold standard in nuclear cardiology for the detection of coronary artery blockages with the least amount of radiation exposure.

SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) is also a nuclear cardiology procedure similar to PET used for the detection of coronary artery diseases (CAD). Nader Cardiology uses SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) to assess blood flow through your heart muscle and detect coronary blockages.

MUGA

A MUGA (multiple gated acquisition) scan shows the blood pumping through your heart’s ventricles (lower chambers).

Nuclear Cardiology medicine provides your cardiologist with valuable information they can’t get using other imaging technologies. It’s so sophisticated that it can deliver more helpful diagnostic and treatment information than exploratory surgery.

To find out more about nuclear cardiology and its role in your heart health, contact Nader Cardiology today. You can call their office or book an appointment using the online scheduling tool.