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Radiation from CT, other cardiac tests can be a problem

If you have a heart condition or concern, your doctor may discuss different ways to diagnose or monitor it, including an electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiac catheterization, echocardiogram (ultrasound), radionuclide stress test, coronary CT angiogram, radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging, or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These tests provide valuable guidance in diagnosing and treating heart disease.

But some of them also expose you to ionizing radiation, which can potentially damage cells and increase the risk of cancer. Although no direct link between cardiac imaging tests and cancer has been confirmed, doctors are taking steps to limit the amount of radiation these…

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Resources

Angioplasty.org

Coronary angiogram, cardiac catheterization, ultrasound, thallium scan, stress echo, MultiSlice CT angiography, MRI, MRA... ...for the patient who has been having chest pains, one or more of these tests will be recommended to determine if coronary artery disease is the cause.

Cardiovascular Imaging

JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging provides readers with a broad, balanced view of all aspects of cardiovascular imaging. The Journal includes original clinical research on non-invasive and invasive imaging techniques including echocardiography, CT, CMR, nuclear, optical imaging, and cine-angiography. Advances...

European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging

European Heart Journal — Cardiovascular Imaging is a monthly international peer reviewed journal of the European Association of Echocardiography and is published in collaboration with the Working Groups of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance; and Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiology CT.

Radiology & Imaging

Physicians who subspecialize in cardiac imaging help diagnose and treat heart issues. These radiologists mainly use computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to produce special views of the heart.