Myocardial Perfusion Scan, Resting

What to Expect

During the Procedure

• Description the room, monitoring devices, and equipment that will be used - You will be lying flat on a table while the images of your heart are obtained. Your arms will be positioned on a rest above your head. It will be necessary for you to lie very still while the images are being taken, as movement can adversely affect the quality of the images.
  
  
• Anesthesia - None required.
  
  
• Basic description of the procedure:
  
  
  • You will lie flat on a table in the procedure room.
    
    
  • The radiopharmaceutical will be injected into a vein in your arm or hand.
    
    
  • After the medication has circulated through your body (10 to 60 minutes depending upon the radioactive tracer being used), the scanner will begin to take pictures of your heart. In a special kind of imaging test, called SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography), the scanner will rotate around you as it takes pictures.
    
    
  • After the scan is complete, you will most likely be allowed to leave, unless additional procedures or tests have been scheduled.
    
    
• Procedure time - The average procedure time is approximately 60 to 120 minutes. However, events such as delays with procedures prior to yours and other factors may delay your procedure's start time. If any difficulties are encountered during the procedure, such as equipment problems or difficulty in obtaining an adequate scan, the procedure may take longer, or may have to be delayed.

After the Procedure

• Recovery - In general, there is no recovery period required after the procedure. However, unforeseen circumstances might occur in rare instances where your physician will want to observe your condition for a time after the procedure.
  
  
• Length of stay - This is an outpatient procedure, so no hospital stay is expected.
  
  
• Recuperation time - In general, there is no recuperation time after the procedure. However, unforeseen circumstances might occur in rare instances where you might feel tired or uncomfortable from lying still during the procedure.
  
  
• Outcome - If the scan is normal, your physician may begin to look for other non-cardiac causes for any symptoms you may have had. If the scan is abnormal, indicating the existence of coronary artery disease, your physician may wish to do further testing, such as an exercise myocardial perfusion scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or a cardiac catheterization.

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