May 25, 2012
Topics A-Z Heart Disease Abnormal ekg no difference in nuclear image
Abnormal ekg no difference in nuclear image |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: I am a nervous wreck. My family doctor said i should see a cardio;logist to discuss some chest pressure i felt last summer mowing the lawn. where i have high blood pressure he ordered a nuclear stress test. a week later at follow up he tells me the ekg was abnormal but showed no difference in nuclear imaging between at rest and doing exercise. He said i need to have a heart catherization done this week . he says it could be nothing or all 3 arteries could have a blockage. 1 is therte any condition that i could have a abnormal ekg and also be nothing wrong 2 If its so urgent why did he wait over a week for follow up and why days later for catherization. I asked him thos and said he knew i was having the follow up week later and pretty much told me to relax ...wouldnt give me any answers further ...he says this is why he is doing the procedure Dear James: I do understand your concern. Often cardiac test results may disagree with each other and it becomes very difficult for a doctor to diagnose the problem. Studies have shown that normal thallium-201 perfusion study is 87-89% sensitive and 73-75% specific in diagnosis a significantstenosis (more than 50%) of the coronary arteries. If an electrocardiogram and a nuclear study have different findings, more importance is generally placed on the nuclear study than theelectrocardiographic results. However catheterization will definitely reveal the extent of the blockage if one is present. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 16 January 2012 ) |
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