What Happens During the Test?

Cardiac perfusion imaging is generally performed at a clinic, test center or hospital. It may be done on a single day or on two separate days.

Usually, two sets of images are taken. One set is taken after the dilating drug has been given (the stress portion), another set is taken after a period of rest. Depending on the facility’s routine, either the stress or the rest part may be done first.

Stress Portion

Several electrodes will be placed on your chest to obtain an ECG and monitor your heartbeat. An intravenous (IV) line will be inserted into a vein in your arm.

The dilating drug (adenosine or dipyridamole) is then injected slowly through the IV into the vein. As the drug is given, you may feel flushed or experience chest pressure, headache, nausea, anxiety, dizziness, or shortness of breath.

Be sure to let the doctor, nurse, or technologist know how you feel. If the side effects make you too uncomfortable, other drugs may sometimes be given to stop the effects.

In some cases, you may be asked to perform low-level exercise after the dilating drug has been injected. This helps to improve the quality of the test and lessen side effects from the drug.

Once the dilating drug has been given, or soon after, the radioactive tracer is injected into the vein.

Next, you lie flat on a special table under a large scanning camera. During imaging, the camera moves slowly in an arc over the front of your chest, taking pictures of your heart from different angles. Remain still while the pictures are being taken. The imaging part of the test takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

Rest Portion

A tracer will be injected one more time, and another set of pictures will be taken while you are at rest. These images are then compared to the images taken during the exercise part of the test.

How Long Does It Take?