Noninvasive Cardiovascular Imaging Services

Our leading-edge diagnostic capabilities include a complete spectrum of noninvasive cardiovascular imaging services. Having the latest technology to detect heart disease allows our cardiologists to discover potential problems in their earliest stages. It also helps them to expertly manage patients with suspected or known heart conditions.
Tests include:

• Electrocardiography
• Exercise stress tests
• Echocardiography
• Transesophageal echocardiography
• Nuclear medicine tests
• CT angiography
• Cardiovascular MRI
• PET
• PET/CTA

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Electrocardiograms (EKG)

EKGs employ 12 electrodes affixed to the legs, arms and chest to record the heart’s electric signals.

Exercise stress tests

Patients connected to an EKG machine are asked to walk or run on a treadmill to speed their heart rates. The results show if there is an adequate blood flow to the heart during exercise. These tests are valuable tools to detect coronary artery disease and angina. 

Echocardiography

The medical center’s echocardiography laboratory is among the region’s best. Equipped with high-performance systems, it includes M mode and two-dimensional ultrasound. Our cardiologists have special expertise in the use of Doppler exams and stress-echocardiography. They’re also on the leading edge of cardiac research, including contrast echocardiography to improve diagnostic accuracy. Echocardiograms, EKGs and exercise stress tests account for more than 25,000 patient visits to UC Irvine Medical Center each year.

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)

Our cardiologists are leaders in transesophageal echocardiography. This technique employs high frequency sound waves transmitted to the heart by a transducer that is passed down the throat into the esophagus. TEE visualizes the back of the heart and other cardiac structures in excellent detail. It is especially valuable for patients with difficult-to-examine hearts due to obesity or other factors.

Thallium stress test

A thallium stress test–also called a myocardial perfusion scan–evaluates blocked or narrowed coronary arteries, blood circulation to cardiac structures, and damaged or dead tissue in the heart muscle. It requires the injection of a small amount of 210- thallium or other radioisotope. Patients are tested during exercise and rest. Those who cannot pedal a stationary bike are given a medication called dobutamine, which simulates the effects of exercise. Our nuclear medicine specialists use a leading-edge dual-head SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) camera to record the heart’s function.

MUGA scan

The multiple-gated acquisition (MUGA) scan evaluates the heart’s pumping ability. Patients are injected with a radioisotope such as 99mTc-sestamibi. The scan is completed using a state-if-the-art dual-head SPECT camera. 

CT angiography

Our 64-slice CT scanner produces high-resolution, three-dimensional pictures of the moving heart and adjacent vascular structures to determine if fatty or calcium deposits (plaque) are present in the coronary arteries. The level of detail is comparable to cardiac catheterization, another method of evaluating narrowed or blocked arteries.

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Cardiac MRI

UC Irvine Medical Center offers cardiac MRI, a noninvasive way to evaluate the viability of the heart muscle and coronary arteries using a magnetic field instead of radiation. This technology produces 3-D images that show the extent of damage from heart disease, the flow of blood throughout the heart, the buildup of plaque, and blockages in blood vessels.
           
PET

Employing small amounts of a radioactive agent, PET scans provide highly accurate data about blood flow to cardiac structures. These tests can indicate whether areas of decreased cardiac function are the result of scarring due to a heart attack, or if the tissue is healthy.

PET/CT

PET/CT scans combine anatomical and metabolic information. The resulting three-dimensional pictures are so precise they make it possible for physicians to perform complex heart exams without catheterization.