Diagnostics
Myocardial scintigraphy
Scintigraphy is also used to diagnose reduced blood flow. In this nuclear-medicine procedure a weakly radioactive substance is injected into a vein. It distributes in the body and accumulates particularly in the heart muscle. A special camera measures the radioactivity over the heart muscle and displays it graphically. This produces an image of the blood-flow pattern. We do not perform scintigraphy ourselves; we work with a specialised centre.
How is the examination performed?
A weakly radioactive substance is given via an arm vein and accumulates in well-perfused heart muscle. A special camera then records images of the heart while you lie still. Usually two series are compared – one under load (on a bicycle or with medication) and one at rest. This shows whether a region of the heart muscle has reduced blood flow only under load or permanently. The examination is painless; only the venous access is briefly noticeable.
What can it show?
- Reduced blood flow of the heart muscle (ischaemia)
- the distinction between reduced blood flow that occurs only under load and permanent reduced blood flow
- Scar tissue after a previous myocardial infarction
- whether a poorly perfused region is still viable – relevant information before planned treatment
How accurate is the examination?
Scintigraphy provides information on the actual blood flow of the heart muscle and complements other methods such as the exercise EKG or stress echocardiography. It is particularly useful when other tests are inconclusive. The radiation dose is low; as with any examination that uses radiation, we weigh the indication carefully.
Benefits at a glance
- Functional information – shows the actual blood flow of the heart muscle.
- Distinguishes load-dependent reduced blood flow from scar tissue.
- Useful addition when other examinations do not give a clear answer.
- Painless and with a low radiation dose.
