Radionuclide Angiography, Resting

What to Expect

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During the Procedure

• Description of the room, monitoring devices, positions, and equipment that will be used - You will be attached to an EKG machine using small adhesive electrode patches. You will be lying on a table in the procedure room. During the procedure, it will be very important for you to lie as still as possible, as any movement can adversely affect the quality of the scan. The gamma camera will be positioned over you as you lie on the table.
  
  
• Anesthesia - None required.
  
  
• Basic description of the procedure:
  
  
  • A medication called pyrophosphate will be injected into a vein in your arm.
    
    
  • After 20 minutes, a radioactive tracer (usually technetium) will be injected into an arm vein to "tag"your blood cells so their progress through your heart can be traced with a scanner. The blood is returned into your vein through the IV tube.
    
    
  • You will lie on a table. The gamma camera obtains images of the heart as it pumps the blood to your body.
    
    
  • You may be asked to change positions during the test; however, once you have changed position, you will need to lie still without talking.
    
    
• Procedure time - The entire procedure normally takes approximately one hour. However, events such as schedule delays, emergencies, and other factors may delay the start of your procedure, or prolong the length of it.

After the Procedure

• Recovery - Once all of the heart images have been obtained, you will be allowed to leave, unless your physician instructs you differently.
  
  
• Length of stay - This is an outpatient procedure, so no hospital stay is expected.
  
  
• Recuperation time - There should be no recuperation time associated with this procedure, unless another type of procedure has been done that might require a recuperation period. Your physician will give you any special instructions, if necessary.
  
  
• Outcome - Depending on the results of the RNA, additional tests or procedures may be scheduled for further diagnostic information.
  

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