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In This Topic
Cardiovascular Disorders
Cardiovascular Tests and Procedures
Overview of Cardiovascular Tests and Procedures
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Chapters in Cardiovascular Disorders
  • Approach to the Cardiac Patient
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Topics in Cardiovascular Tests and Procedures
  • Overview of Cardiovascular Tests and Procedures
  • Cardiac Catheterization
  • Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)
  • Echocardiography
  • Electrocardiography (ECG)
  • Electrophysiologic Studies (EPS)
  • Cardiac Imaging Tests
  • Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI)
  • Radionuclide Imaging
  • Stress Testing
  • Tilt Table Testing
 
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Overview of Cardiovascular Tests and Procedures

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Many noninvasive and invasive tests can delineate cardiac structure and function (see Table 1: Cardiovascular Tests and Procedures: Tests for Assessing Cardiac Anatomy and FunctionTables). Also, treatments can be administered during certain invasive diagnostic tests (eg, percutaneous coronary intervention during cardiac catheterization, radiofrequency ablation during electrophysiologic testing).

Table 1

PrintOpen table in new window Open table in new window
Tests for Assessing Cardiac Anatomy and Function

Application

Tests

Left ventricular function

Echocardiography

Multiple-gated acquisition (MUGA) radionuclide imaging

Gated MRI

Contrast ventriculography

Coronary artery disease diagnosis and prognosis

Exercise or pharmacologic stress testing with ECG, myocardial perfusion imaging, or echocardiography

Magnetic resonance angiography

Coronary angiography

Intravascular ultrasonography

Multidetector CT coronary angiography

Myocardial viability

Resting single-photon emission CT (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging

Stress testing (using low-dose dobutamineSome Trade Names
DOBUTREX
Click for Drug Monograph
) with echocardiography

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Gated MRI

Last full review/revision December 2012 by Michael J. Shea, MD

Content last modified January 2013

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